The first round of the training programme on “Human rights and migration” and “How to convey children-friendly information to migrant children” was held in Antalya between 18-20 September 2023. The 3-day training was organised in the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Strengthening the human rights protection in the context of migration in Türkiye".
The content of the trainings was tailored to the needs of the personnel of the Gendarmerie General Command, who deals with and rescues thousands of migrants every year in the western and eastern borders of Türkiye.
Türkiye hosts the highest number of refugees in the world, out of which a large percentage is children. Therefore, the second part of the training aimed to raise awareness and enhance the capacities of Gendarmerie’s personnel on how to communicate with children in a child-friendly manner and to ensure the respect of their rights, including the right to be heard and participate in procedures affecting them. The training was, inter alia, based on the Council of Europe handbook on “How to Convey Child Friendly Information to Children in Migration”.
Thanks to these trainings, 37 participants from the Gendarmerie General Command enhanced their knowledge on a variety of topics relevant to their work and became better equipped to ensure the human rights protection of migrants and respond effectively to the specific needs of migrant children.
At the end of the training, the representatives from Gendarmerie General Command extended their appreciation for the well-designed training programme and thanked the action’s team for their co-operation and support.
The action “Strengthening the human rights protection in the context of migration in Türkiye” is implemented within the framework of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.
