Newsletter - February 2021
Mandate
The Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) was created at the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DG1) on 1 February 2025 to follow-up on the action by the former Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees. Its mandate includes suggesting assistance and support to member states, particularly through the Network of Focal Points on Migration, seeking, collecting and analysing information on the human rights situation of migrants and refugees, as well as complementing and co-ordinating activities of other relevant Council of Europe bodies and our action with other international partners, notably the UNHCR, IOM, EU, and its specialised agencies, and other national, regional and international stakeholders, including civil society organisations. The DMR represents the Council of Europe in the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award Selection Committee, as well as in the Consultative Forums of Frontex and of EUAA.
Visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, climate migrants and input to UN Rapporteur’s report
From 24 to 30 January 2021, the Special Representative conducted a mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina where he visited reception facilities in the Una-Sana and in Sarajevo Cantons. He also met representatives of local, cantonal and national authorities and representatives from relevant...
Failure to adequately protect two potential victims of child trafficking
On 16 February 2021, in a Chamber judgment in the case of V.C.L. AND A.N. v. the United Kingdom the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been: a violation of Article 4 (prohibition of forced labour) of the European Convention on Human Rights, and a violation of Article...
France: Visit of the "Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté"
On 12 January 2021, the Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté (General Inspector of all places of deprivation of liberty) of France, Mrs. Dominique Simonnot, visited the Council of Europe and met in particular with the Department for the execution of judgments of the European...
ECRI publishes new report on Norway
On 23 February 2021, in its new report published together with the government’s comments, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) called on Norwegian child welfare services to further strengthen their assistance to struggling families with a migration or minority background...
Age assessment procedures for children in migration: animation available in seven languages
On 23 February 2021, the Children´s Rights Division published the video animation on age assessment for children in migration in three more languages: Bambara, Wolof and Moroccan Arabic. The animation is developed jointly by the Council of Europe and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), and...
Climate change and forced migration: A crisis in the making
On 23 February 2021, the World Forum for Democracy addressed “Climate change and forced migration: A crisis in the making” in its Forum talk, organised in the margins of the 9th Forum running from November 2020 to November 2021. Rising sea levels flooding, wildfires, droughts, and other disasters...
- Update this for February
- The Special Representative on Migration and Refugees visited Turkey
- Violations of asylum-seeking family’s rights in the Röszke transit zone and lawfulness and detention conditions of detainee in Malta
- European countries must urgently change their migration policies which endanger refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean
- Anti-torture Committee: Malta should improve the treatment of detained migrants
- Council of Europe’s anti-racism commission published its annual report
- Launch of the HELP course on Asylum and European Convention on Human Rights in Turkey