Slovenia: cooperation with civil society for better support and integration of refugees and migrants during the pandemic
For refugees and migrants in Slovenia, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the hardships and hardships experienced by fleeing hardships in their countries of origin.
“For the 3,000 refugees and migrants hosted in reception centers across Slovenia, the fight to respect COVID-19 protection measures, such as physical distance, and access to information about the virus was in a language they understand,” Neja explained. Samar Brenčič, director of the IZRIIS Institute, a civil society organization (CSO). “This put them at increased risk during the pandemic.”
Adapting information to specific needs
To address these issues, the Safe4ALL project, run by IZRIIS and supported by WHO / Europe, has worked with a network of representatives of civil society organizations, asylum center staff and volunteers to develop reliable and culturally relevant information on COVID-19 vaccination and preventive measures. refugees and migrants. The information, translated into 24 languages, was distributed to municipalities, asylum centers and civil society organizations in the country, and was accompanied by training for those working directly with these groups.
A handbook with a series of pictograms has also been created to help overcome language barriers when talking about treatment, to support communication between health professionals and refugees and migrants, and to reduce misunderstandings.
Promoting the integration of refugees and migrants into society
The project enabled discussions and trainings with 50 non-governmental organizations working with refugees and migrants in Slovenia. Together, they sought ways to support and promote the integration of these groups into society and to address any negative attitudes linking the transfer of COVID-19 to asylum seekers entering the country.
IZRIIS also conducted several lively workshops for 400 children and adolescents and delivered training materials to more than 500 schools to help combat discrimination against asylum seekers during a pandemic and to promote zero tolerance for hate speech.
Integrating the needs of refugees and migrants into government plans
To ensure that the needs of refugees and migrants are taken into account in responses to COVID-19, the Safe4ALL project has created opportunities for health authorities to hear directly from the civil society organizations working with them. In this context, the project trained 50 representatives from 212 municipalities on ways to better involve community voices in policy-making.
Kerstin Vesna Petrič, Director General of the Public Health Directorate of the Republic of Slovenia, emphasized the importance of these efforts: “The great value of this project is that it establishes excellent links between civil society organizations, municipalities and local communities and young people to help reduce discrimination. refugees and migrants.
Since the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, IZRIIS has been working with partners, including the WHO in Slovenia, the Ministry of Health and other civil society organizations, to identify the needs of Ukrainian refugees entering the country and plan appropriate responses.
An initiative of civil society organizations in the WHO European Region
The WHO / Europe Civil Society Initiative has piloted new bottom-up approaches to working with governments to give communities a say in plans that affect their lives and ensure that they are involved in policy-making processes.
The CSO initiative has contributed to responding to COVID-19 by strengthening community preparedness and resilience to emergencies, connecting vulnerable communities with services, and improving inclusive governance. Slovenia is among 8 countries in the region and 40 around the world that are currently piloting such approaches.