Refugees

1
Refugees Asylum Seekers

• Enabling Occupational Performance

2
Identification

• Refugees Asylum Seekers
• 2005
• Global total of refugees
• 8.394.500, 12 decrease of the previous year.
• European amount of refugees
• 1.965.800, 15.2 decrease of the beginning 2005
• Total amount or refugees in the Netherlands
• 139.353

• UNHCR (2006) 2005 Global refugee Trends. In
  http//www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/statistics/
  opendoc.pdf?tbl STATISTICSid4486ceb12

3
Identification cont.

• The population of the Netherlands in June 2006
  was 16,335,998.
• This figure does not include the 139,353 refugees
  then estimated to be residing in the country.
  Refugees and asylum seekers make up 0.8 of the
  Dutch population.

• CBS (2006). Bevolking/ population. In
  http//statline.cbs.nl

4
Identification cont.

• Top 5 of countries where refugees
• Originate in the Netherlands
• Iraq
• Afghanistan
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Somalia
• Islamic republic of Iran

• UNHCR (2004). 2004 UNHCR Statistical Yearbook.
  In http//www.unhcr.org

5
Objectives (What?)

• It can be stated that refugees and/or asylum
  seekers
• have difficulties interacting in social, cultural
  and
• religious interaction, on a psychological level
  and
• limited possibilities in executing any form of
  daily
• occupation, related to wok, self care and
  leisure. This
• will be reviewed by means of semi-structured
• interviews with the refugees and/or asylum
  seekers
• and follow-up interviews to sustain the amount of
  
• change and satisfaction with the outcomes. This
  should
• be achieved in the remaining 3 months of our
  project.

6
Justification (Why?)
There are many reasons why a person would flee
their country of origin e.g.

• War
• Persecution
• Intolerance
• Discrimination
• Political issues
• Oppression

• Economics
• Poverty
• Starvation
• Drought
• Incarceration
• Natural disasters.

7
Justification (Why?) cont.
Seeking refuge in another country causes a
variety of problems

• Fear
• Anxiety
• Grief
• Depression
• Loss of control
• Loss of meaning
• Loss of identity
• Loss of self-worth
• Feelings of helplessness

• Impaired capacity for intimacy
• Impaired future orientation
• Impaired employment skills
• Lack of privacy
• Lack/loss of social connections/community
• Language barriers.

• ECRE (1999). Policy on Integration. In
  http//www.ecre.org/
• UNHCR (2002). Refugee resettlement. Chapter 1.3.
  In
• http//www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/template?p
  agePROTECTIONsrcstatic/rh2002/rh2002toc.htm

8
Where?
Estonia
The Netherlands
Latvia
Lithuania
United Kingdom
Spain
Bulgaria
Turkey
9
Where? cont.

• Several refugee camps around the Netherlands.
• e.g. Amsterdam, Heemskerk, Alkmaar, Leiden,
  Amersfoort, Utrecht, Zwolle, Raalte.

10
When?

• Start project 28 Aug. 2006
• Finish 26 Jan. 2007
• This project is initially running for the
  duration of our final thesis.
• After that it may be continued by the care
  workers of the refugee camp or other occupational
  therapist or students.

11
How long?

• This project is running while we are working on
  our thesis.
• When the project is not finished by the end of
  our thesis, further organisation and realisation
  of facilities will be transferred to the refugee
  camp or possible involved occupational therapist
  or care workers.

12
In which way? (methodologies, strategies
activities)

• Methodology
• Interviews with refugee camp
• Interviews with refugees
• Interviews with care workers
• Interviews with financing organisation.
• Interviews with vluchtelingenwerk/ refugee work.

13
In which way? cont.

• Strategy
• Legislation for refugees within the Netherlands.
• (What is allowed and what is not.)
• Community-based Rehabilitation.
• Participatory Action research.
• Key speaker of COA (Centraal Orgaan asielzoekers/
  Central Organisation asylum seekers).
• ? About available facilities and possible
  changes.

• UNHCR (2006). The Dublin II regulation. In
  www.unhcr.org

14
In which way? cont.

• Strategy cont.
• Key speakers of refugees
• ? From Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.
• ? Because of location, religion, currant
  political disorder
• and appearance in the top 5 countries.
• Key speakers of care workers
• ? Selected by the organisation, directly working
  with
• the refugees.
• Key speakers of financing organisation
• ? Manager or accountant of the organisation.
• Key speakers of refugee work
• ? Selected by the organisation, directly working
  with the refugees.

15
In which way? cont.

• Activities
• Semi-structured interviews.
• ? With the aid of a multi-lingual interpreter or
  in English.
• ? According to set interview list.
• ? Fixed topics.
• Daily life in a refugee camp
• Daily life in their home country
• Missing activities of daily living
• Present activities in the refugee camp
• Missing facilities in the refugee camp
• Possible change

16
In which way? cont.

• Interview
• Interviews.doc

17
In which way? cont.

• Activities cont.
• Analysis of required information.
• Selecting appropriate and achievable occupations.
• Reviewing selected occupations with the refugee
  organisations.
• Assessing possibility to provide these
  occupations.
• Implementing the occupations.
• Follow-up

18
Outcomes

• To provide a programme that actualises the
  occupational wishes and needs of refugees and/or
  asylum seekers associated with self-care, work
  and play.
• Expected occupational needs/wishes
• I would like to have a job
• I would like to exercise my religion
• I would like to learn Dutch
• I would like to do sports
• I would like my children to go to a normal
  school

19
Outcomes cont.

• Refugees and asylum seekers would feel
• more comfortable and secure in the
• Netherlands if several occupations were to be
• provided. This would ensure a smoother
• transition into the host society, and, for those
• successful in securing permanent residency,
• integration would be made easier.

20
Indicators of change

• The refugee camp is willing to change facilities
  and provide new opportunities to enable the
  occupational needs/wishes of the refugees.
• The financing organisation is willing and able to
  provide the needed funding.
• The care workers are capable and willing of
  providing the wished for activities.
• The refugees are willing to help actualise the
  expressed occupational wishes.

21
With what means?
Financing Thesis

• Costs
• Travel costs
• Office supplies (paper, pens, etc.
• Phone costs
• Communication costs
• Gifts

• Possible financers
• Nederlandse Vereniging voor Ergotherapie/ Dutch
  Association of Occupational Therapy

22
With what means? cont.
Financing project

• Possible financers
• Refugee camp
• Financing organisation
• Business organisations
• Refugee work
• Government, department internal ministry

• Costs
• Facilities
• Adjustments to physical environment
• Activities

23
Referencelist

• Baarda, D.B., Goede, M.P.M. de Meer-Middelburg,
  A.G.E. van der (1996). Basisboek open interview.
  Groningen Stenfert Kroese.
• CBS (2006). Bevolking/ population. In
  http//statline.cbs.nl
• CBS (2004). The Netherlands on European Scale.
  In http//www.cbs.nl/nr/rdonlyres/03e7800eeed949f
  78a99dc1be3f6263b/0/europeanscale20042nded.pdfsea
  rch22the20netherlands20on20the20european20s
  cale22
• CBS (2004). Statistic yearbook of the Netherlands
  2004. In http//www.cbs.nl/nr/rdonlyres/3c60b3e9-
  09e0-491f-87f2 99b8e54936a1/0/2004 a3pub.pdf
• COA (2006). Veelgestelde vragen/frequently asked
  questions. In http//www.coa.nl/NED/website/fa
  q.asp?menuid15commanddetailr1q7474
• ECRE (1999). Policy on Integration. In
  http//www.ecre.org/
• IND (2004). Asylum procedure in the Netherlands
  In http//www.ind.nl/en/Images/Publiek_ENG_Algeme
  en_tcm6-16537.pdf

24
Referencelist cont.

• UNHCR (2004). 2004 UNHCR Statistical Yearbook.
  In http//www.unhcr.org
• UNHCR (2006) 2005 Global refugee Trends. In
  http//www.unhcr.org/cgibin/texis/vtx/statistics/o
  pendoc.pdf?tbl STATISTICSid4486ceb12
• UNHCR (2002). Refugee resettlement. Chapter 1.3.
  In http//www.unhcr.org/cgibin/texis/vtx/template
  ?pagePROTECTIONsrcstatic/rh2002/rh2002toc.htm
• UNHCR (2006). The Dublin II regulation. In
  www.unhcr.org
• United Nations General Assembly (1948). Universal
  Declaration of Human Rights. In
  http//www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

25
Acknowledgements

• Thank you so much
• for listening, for
• getting to know each
• other and most
• of all for two weeks of
• experiences and fun.