Source description last updated: 12 July 2021

In brief: Refugee Rights Europe (RRE) is a UK-registered charity, established in 2016, which is working for the human rights of refugees and displaced people in Europe.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Reports, Press Releases and Statements

Covered monthly on ecoi.net, for countries of priority D.

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

RRE states they “stand up for the human rights and dignity of refugees and displaced people seeking safety in Europe. [….]

Our mission is to call on those in power to bring about much-needed change and to uphold the national and international obligations in relation to refugees and displaced people.

We work in three ways: First, we find out what is happening on the ground. We have surveyed thousands of displaced people across Europe and we gather evidence through our partners and field visits to find out exactly what is going on. […] Second, we build bridges. Connecting the people working on the ground and those in power. We bring expertise and insights from the frontlines, from grassroots organizations and displaced people to the politicians who can create long-term change. We bring organisations together to coordinate action and build constructive dialogue with policy makers. Third, we call for change. We bring the voices of refugees directly to decision makers. We hold EU-institutions and governments to account, and expose human rights violations and other abuses of power. And we put forward practical policy recommendations at the national, EU and international levels. […]” (RRE website: Who we are: About us (video transcript), undated)

RRE aims to draw particular attention to and the humanitarian and human rights situation of refugees “in four critical European locations” and to advocate “at European Union level” (RRE website: What we do: Calling for change, undated) for structural reforms of the asylum systems in Europe.

Funding:

Donations by individuals, foundations and other organisations. In 2020, RRE received funding from the Beryl Alexander Charity, the Christie Foundation, the Evan Cornish Foundation, GlobalGiving, Help Refugees /Choose Love, Lansdowne Partners Ltd, the Lush Foundation, the Open Society Foundations (OSF), and the Treebeard Trust. (RRE: Annual Report 2020, p. 2)

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: Europe, with a focus on France, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom. Occasionally, RRE also publishes reports on the Balkans, Belgium, Germany and Spain.

Thematic focus: Health and access to medical care; access to information and education; living conditions; police violence; women in displacement; children in displacement (RRE website: Info Sheets, undated)

Methodology:

“In seeking long term change at national, EU and international levels, we anchor our work in rigorous field and desk research.” (RRE website: What we do: Resources, undated)

RRE publishes reports, information sheets, policy briefs, evidence submissions and guides on capacity-building issues.

Reports, sometimes written in cooperation with other human rights and refugee rights organisations, are based on publicly available documents, reports and legal texts and information gathered by persons on the ground (see, for example, RRE: The failure of French Authorities to respect, protect and guarantee the rights of at-risk unaccompanied children (UAC), February 2021, p. 8). In some cases, reports are based on field research by independent researchers, participant observation and qualitative interviews with volunteers working on the ground (see, for example, RRE: Children stuck in limbo: Examining the vulnerability of unaccompanied minors in northern France, 2019, p. 4). In other reports, researchers included also informal interviews with refugees and displaced persons in their work (see, for example, RRE: The unknown knowns: Observations from small informal refugee camps in northern France, June 2016, p. 5).

Language(s) of publications:

English; French; in individual cases, Italian

Further reading / links:

Charity Commission for England and Wales: Refugee Rights Europe (charity details)
https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5082934/charity-overview

 

All links accessed 12 July 2021.

 

Methodological note:

ecoi.net's source descriptions contain background information on an organisation’s mission & objective, funding and reporting methodology, as well as on how we cover the source. The descriptions were prepared after researching publicly accessible information within time constraints. Most information contained in a source description was taken from the source itself. The aim is to provide a brief introduction to the sources covered regularly, offering information on relevant aspects in one place in a systematic manner.