The number of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons throughout the world has never been so high as in 2022, and women and children face heightened vulnerabilities and violence in the course of migration. That is the finding of the report on the reception of women and child refugees in Europe’s cities and regions, adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on 25 October 2022.
Presented by the co-rapporteurs, Annika Vaikla (Estonia, ILDG) and Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CEE), the report underlines the limits of mass reception facilities, which are often unsuitable, and proposes good practices for local authorities regarding housing, healthcare and education, with a view to ensuring safe reception and respect for the human rights of women and children fleeing their own countries.
Addressing the members of the Congress, the Special Representative of the Council of Europe Secretary General on migration and refugees, Leyla Kayacik, shared the results of her fact-finding missions to several countries in Europe. She further called for local and regional authorities in Europe not to be left alone in ensuring the protection of refugee women and children.
On the occasion of the International Migrants Day, 18 December, the Chair of the Congress Current Affairs Committee, Thomas Andersson (Sweden, ILDG) stated that “thoughts inevitably turn to the images of millions of people fleeing war and destruction in Ukraine, who have largely been met with heart-warming displays of generosity.
It is a reminder of just how much we can achieve when we work together to mobilise resources and political will. With migration picking up again after the pandemic, we now cannot lower the bar for other refugees or migrants.
We must prevent the politicisation and instrumentalisation of migrants' journeys and lives by elected officials at all levels of governance, which only serves to exacerbate divisions and spread hatred. We must take a constructive approach and commit to advocating for comprehensive and inclusive strategies to welcome migrants into our communities.
Local and regional authorities have a specific responsibility here, and the Congress has been working hard to support them in these efforts, said Mr Andersson.