PRO ASYL advocates for the rights of refugees in Germany and in Europe. We help them to apply for asylum. We investigate human rights violations. And we campaign for an open society in which refugees receive protection.
What we do
Persecution by terror regimes, wars and civil wars, the dangerous situation in states like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan or Libya – there are many reasons for fleeing. Worldwide about 60 million people are seeking protection. Most of them stay in their own region. Only a small percentage set out on the long and dangerous journey to other countries.
When they do, they meet with many obstacles. Refugees are criminalised and described as a threat to the prosperity and stability of society. Racist attitudes are on the rise. If refugees to make it to Europe they often run the risk of detention, or of homelessness and destitution. In Germany, refugees suffer from exclusion, a lack of decent living conditions and disrespect for their rights. The number of racially motivated attacks has been growing for years.
Our areas of activity:
We support individual refugees in their asylum procedure, when they are facing deportation, and in legal and social questions. Through our hotline we hear about the problems refugees have to contend with in Germany and Europe: bureaucratic harassment and attacks, unfair treatment, lack of assistance and brutal deterrence measures.
PRO ASYL researches and documents human rights violations against refugees – in particular, at the external borders of the European Union. Cases include arbitrary detention, severe acts of violence and the illegal refoulement (turning away) of those wishing to apply for asylum.
In the case of court decisions, deportation is often prevented thanks to our research and the refugees receive protection. Our appeals, often leading to legal disputes on fundamental issues, go as far as the Federal Constitutional Court, the European Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights.
We go public with our findings: we provide information and clarification, oppose incitement to racism and denounce human rights violations – through media statements, publications, campaigns. And we address policy-makers directly: our experts regularly intervene in legislative proceedings and public debates on asylum policy to defend the rights of refugees and migrants.
Join us in supporting persecuted people and their rights. Become a member of PRO ASYL.