Background and aim of the meeting
Children who were born or spent part of their childhood in the territories previously controlled by Daesh in Syria and Iraq have been actively repatriated across Europe, often with their mothers. Kosovo* has received the largest number of returnees in the Western Balkans (WBs), having repatriated 110 citizens in April 2019, including men, women and children, out of a total of 485 returnees. In the EU, France has repatriated the largest number of returned children. Out of approximately 300 French children who returned to France, 75 were repatriated until the end of 2022 and 32 at the beginning of 2023. This data demonstrates the continued importance of the phenomenon.
- radicalisation
- Tuesday 9 May 2023, 09:00 - Wednesday 10 May 2023, 14:00 (CEST)
- Paris, France
- External event
Practical information
- When
- Tuesday 9 May 2023, 09:00 - Wednesday 10 May 2023, 14:00 (CEST)
- Where
- RAN in the Western BalkansParis, France
- Languages
- English
- Organisers
- RAN Practitioners Staff
Description
The objectives of this study visit
Practitioners and institutions both in the WBs and in the EU play a key role in European and global efforts to manage a safe, human rights compliant and effective return of children from Syria and Iraq. This puts great emphasis on the need to provide room for continuous and mutual learning among practitioners based in the EU and in the WBs concerning the work with child returnees, including good practices of case management, reintegration structures and inter-disciplinary approaches to successfully reintegrate them into society by safeguarding their rights and addressing their individual rehabilitation needs. The study visit will provide insights for participants on the measures taken from the moment the children arrive to (concluded) reintegration, allowing practitioners to engage with lessons learnt from the French case study in order to discuss applicability in their own work and national contexts.
Target Audience
We are looking for participants who are interested to join the upcoming Study Visit on Managing the Needs of Child Returnees of the Radicalisation Awareness Network in the Western Balkans, which will take place on 9 & 10 May 2023 in Paris (France).
The main target audience of this study visit is practitioners from the Western Balkans who work with child returnees, their caretakers (either their parents, immediate relatives or a foster family), educators and any other relevant stakeholders, including state institutions, municipalities or CSOs.
This could include:
- Social workers
- Social and health services
- Psychologists/ Psychiatrists
- CSO practitioners
- Local (returnee) coordinators
- Law enforcement
- Legal experts
Practical information
If you are interested in attending this meeting, please fill out this form in English no later than 3 April.
This meeting will be held in English without interpretation. Participants should therefore have sufficient knowledge of English to be able to participate in the meeting.
The study visit will be a full-day meeting on 9 May and a half-day meeting (until and including lunch) on 10 May. Participants will fly to Paris on 8 May and return home on 10 May (depending on availability of flights).
Hotel, travel, lunch on both days and a networking dinner on day one of the meeting are covered by RAN.
If you have any questions about the meeting, please contact RAN Staff members elena [dot] dalsanto
violence-prevention-network [dot] de (Elena Dal Santo) and alexandra [dot] kornviolence-prevention-network [dot] de (Alexandra Korn).