DRC Greece: Human Rights Actors join forces across Europe

Rooting for Rights, is exactly what the five members have partnered up to do. The project brings together human rights actors with extensive experience in defending human rights and advocating with national authorities: The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and the  Greek National Commission for Human Rights in Greece,  Cyprus Refugee Council (CyRC) in Cyprus, Aditus Foundation in Malta, and Conselho Português para os Refugiados (CPR) in Portugal. 

Each one is leading in the field of refugee rights and engaged daily in work related to people displaced by war, violence, and persecution and matters concerning their protection. Their objective in the coming year is to promote the use of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights to protect the rights of asylum seekers in their respective EU Member states. 
 
"Our unique coalition of partners are eager to engage and start addressing some of the burning challenges faced by asylum-seekers in accessing their rights and international protection," says Christina Papatheodorou, Country Director for DRC in Greece speaking of the Rooting for Rights project.  

Overall, the project will lay the foundations for effective and sustainable improvements in the area of reception and advance the equal, non-discriminatory protection of asylum-seeker’s rights and ensure that they are treated with dignity.  

With funding from the European Commission from 2023 to mid-2024, the Rooting for Rights partners will engage national institutions, human rights bodies, state actors, and national Ombuds people across the four countries involved. 

Rooting for Rights partners will work on the ground to build the capacity of law practitioners, civil society organisations and frontline staff for them to more effectively use the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to support applicants of international protection in reception and detention systems. This will also include justice practitioners working with strategic litigation training, law enforcement officers, and frontline staff working in reception centres.