In the face of migration crisis, European leaders are at a crossroads and can still chose the path to walk on. However, their responses and reactions haven’t been well aligned with true EU values that all EU member states have adhered to.

Rather than seek to protect people fleeing brutal wars, persecution, human rights violations, instability and extreme poverty, EU institutions have become preoccupied with stopping people reaching Europe and trying to quickly expel those who do. Only last week, European Commission recommended locking up child migrants while they or their parents wait to see if they have been granted asylum. Not only is forcibly detaining children never in the child’s best interests, it is in breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – a set of laws protecting children that every EU nation has signed up to.

EU member states and institutions can either let fear erode the fundamental values they so often preach about yet practice less and less, or they can truly embody the principles the EU was founded on almost 60 years ago.

Over 160 NGOs (including Terre des hommes) demanded European leaders take the second option today (8 March) and called on European governments’ to take inspiration from citizens across Europe welcoming refugees and migrants into their communities and donating money, time and resources to help them.

Click here and read their joint letter in English.

In 2017, the Foundation Agency for Community Development “Together”, as partner in the zefiR consortium, organizes a series of meetings at county level in order to strengthen local/regional partnerships and to manage with increased efficiency and productivity problems of Roma communities.

First meetings of such kind already took place in Targu Jiu (January 30, 2017), in Craiova (January 31, 2017) and Slatina (February 1, 2017). Read more on www.zefirincomunitate.ro, click here for direct link.

Between 23 to 24 February 2017, 25 social workers from Arges and Valcea counties are expected to attend the third training course on effective communication with and for people affected by migration (children whose parents are working abroad, children repatriated or refugees and their families etc).

Organized within the project “Regional Resource Center for Child Protection in Southeast Europe” and endorsed by CNASR, the course aims at developing the capacity of social workers to communicate effectively with migrants, as well as with other social actors or with their colleagues in an effort to ensure an integrated social protection to those in need.

In social casuistry, children affected by migration and their families represent a vulnerable group with special communication needs as a result of the psychosocial stress that they are experiencing temporarily or an indefinite time period. The ability of social workers to communicate and relate in a proper way with these beneficiaries is crucial in order to reduce the tension and anxiety, as well as to identify the best measures of protection or social assistance.

The training course was held for the first time in Craiova, 27 to 28 June, 2016, and then re-delivered in Bucharest, on September 20 to 21^st, 2016. Social workers attending the course from Pitesti will receive updated content and will join a network of more than 40 colleagues from the southeast region, who learned to be good communicators, astute and careful in dealing with vulnerable people.

On October 12^th, 2016, the Bucharest Court opened its doors to a group of 17 students of the “George Calinescu” School No. 148, currently participating in the “Children’s Rights Court” project.

Similarly to their peers’ visit at the Prosecutors’ Office, this documentation visit enabled the young people to learn how the legal bodies work in Romania and to engage in an open dialogue with experts in the legal field.

Through the courtesy of Mrs. Paula Iacob, First Registrar of the Court of Bucharest, the young students received a guided tour through the court facility, discovering with great interest its various departments and understanding how different cases come into trial, including those relating to children and youth.

Towards the end of the visit, the students had the privilege to meet with Mrs. Laura Andrei, President of the Court and to discuss with her in the Council Room. In a very friendly atmosphere, Mrs. President of the Court encouraged youngsters to ask question and provided them with answers about the Court’s history, the formation of judges, the specific problematic of trials involving children and many others.

At the end of the visit, the youngsters felt one step closer to understanding how children’s rights are protected and insured by the courts in Romania. At the same time, by discovering that they are supported in their inquiries, their confidence in their own ability to participate in the project has increased.

Further, the young students from School No. 148 will use the information they’ve acquired following the visit and transfer it into game scenarios, which are in the process of being developed within the project.

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Children’s Rights Court is a project funded by the European Commission (JUST / 2014 / Action Grants), gathering six partners at transnational level – Terre des Hommes Lausanne Hungary (applicant), National Network for Children in Bulgaria, Brave Phone Croatia, Terre des hommes Italy, Terre des hommes Romania and Victim Support UK – who aim to develop an online simulation game, informing children and youth about their rights during various civil, administrative and criminal legal proceedings. The game will be conceptualized and adapted to the specific context of each partner country, benefiting from the expertise of national experts, and will empower the future  young  users to fulfill their rights and obligations in order to avoid risky situations.

A group of 29 young students from the National College “Mihai Eminescu” Constanta, actively involved in “Children’s Rights Court” project, have travelled on October 5^th to Bucharest, for a documentation visit to the Chamber of Hearing and to the Prosecutors‘ Office of the Bucharest Court.

The visit was organized by Terre des hommes Foundation to facilitate youngsters’ direct information on judicial proceedings that involve children and youth and which may serve as baseline for the educational game that they have to develop within “Children’s Rights Court” project.

The visit’s hosts were: Mr. Alexandru Georgescu, senior prosecutor, Prosecutors’ Office; Mr. Bocu Julian, Chief Commissioner, Capital Police; Mr. Trusca Marian, Prosecutor, Prosecutors’ Office.

For 2 hours, the 29 young guests have addressed question after question, receiving most relevant information on: the roles of forensic investigators, prosecutors and psychologists in investigating cases which involve juvenile offenders; what are the rights and obligations of child witnesses; how to swear an oath; what entails a statement; how the child witnesses’ identity is protected; when and how lie detectors are used; what’s the difference between an author and an accomplice; at what age becomes effective the criminal liability; which are the most common situations when children come in conflict with the law; what is the legal posture of a child who turns out to be forced to commit a crime etc.

The question and answer session was followed by a visit to the specialized Juvenile Hearing Room in the Prosecutor’s Office, which has been arranged through “AUDIS” project and was officially inaugurated on June 3th, 2016. The juvenile hearing room is a device designed to prevent re-traumatisation of children in and to identify accurate information, necessary to legal proceedings.

The entire visit was highly very appreciated by the young people from Constanta who felt both ready to move forward in developing game scenarios within the project, as well as particularly motivated to pursue a career in the legal field.

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Children’s Rights Court is a project funded by the European Commission (JUST / 2014 / Action Grants), gathering six partners at transnational level – Terre des Hommes Lausanne Hungary (applicant), National Network for Children in Bulgaria, Brave Phone Croatia, Terre des hommes Italy, Terre des hommes Romania and Victim Support UK – who aim to develop an online simulation game, informing children and youth about their rights during various civil, administrative and criminal legal proceedings. The game will be conceptualized and adapted to the specific context of each partner country, benefiting from the expertise of national experts, and will empower the future  young  users to fulfill their rights and obligations in order to avoid risky situations.

Are you leading or are you involved in “Second Chance” programmes and want to facilitate the integration of children in situations of migration? Do you want to appropriate new methodologies of teaching by which to prevent drop-outs among this vulnerable group?

If your answer is yes, you are invited Thursday, October 27, between 10:00-16:00, at Euro Hotels Gara de Nord (Bucharest, Grivitei no. 130) to attend the conference “Innovative methodologies for Second-Chance programmes”.

Organized by the Terre des hommes through the European project “ROBIN-Reinforcing competences to Build Inclusion through the New Learning methodology”, the conference will give you the chance to discover a new training program designed by the project partners to meet the specific training needs of Second Chance specialists working directly with children in situations of migration and / or affected by it*.

More details about the conference can be found. Confirmation of participation can be sent via email to raluca. icleanu@tdh. ro (project manager Raluca Condrut) until October 24, 2016. His state has used the data collected on disproportionality to work on websites that do your homework its identification practices for special education.

* The syntagm “children in situations of migration and affected by it” refers to children and young people with no fixed abode, whose parents are working abroad, traveling voluntarily or involuntarily, accompanied or unaccompanied, within their country or inside EU countries, and who are repatriated, refugees, victims of human trafficking etc.

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„ROBIN – Reinforcing Competences to Build Inclusion through a New learning methodology” is a transnational project, funded by the European Commission through Erasmus + Programme (KA 2 Strategic Partnerships).

Terre des hommes is pleased to announce the organization of the Vth edition of its “Take Over Day” campaign, an initiative designed to promote children’s and young people’s rights to participate in society and to decide their own future.

The first edition of the campaign took place in 2012 and was inspired by the “Take Over Day” initiative from UK. The Romanian initiative, now at its Vth edition, takes place around the International Day of Children’s Rights Foundation and is implemented by Terre des hommes with its partners in the public and private sectors.

In 2016, Take Over Day will be organized from November 15 to 25. Like every year, children and young people across the country will be supported to take over their dream jobs for a day, and adults are encouraged to help in this endeavor, as group coordinators, mentors and companions.

More details about the campaign concept and its schedule in 2016 are available in a new form, the www.ziuastafetei.ro.