On Sunday, June 6, the first Swiss Refugee Parliament met in the Holy Trinity Church in Bern. A historic milestone for Switzerland. At the end of the session, the participants presented ten selected demands to the politicians present and connected.
Family visits in the Schengen area for temporarily admitted persons: this is what refugees in Switzerland want. The Refugee Parliament adopted a proposal on this and other points on Sunday. The participants want access to education for refugees to be improved and for those who receive a negative asylum decision during their apprenticeship to still be allowed to complete the training they have started. The refugee parliament has also spoken out in favor of extended family reunification: Children should be allowed to bring their parents to Switzerland. In addition, children in Switzerland should be treated first and foremost as children and according to their age, regardless of their residence status.
Like on a ship without a harbor
Participants, guests and supporting organizations emphasized it again and again during the day: there is a lot of talk about refugees, but they are rarely asked. The young Sayed N., who fled Afghanistan and has been living in Switzerland for almost five years, describes his situation as follows: “Our life is like a ship on a stormy sea hoping to find a safe harbor. We have found the harbor in Switzerland, but unfortunately we can’t dock here.” Sayed, who speaks Swiss German as well as German, had to abandon an apprenticeship he had started after the negative asylum decision.
The refugee parliament, which met for the first time this Sunday, should also be a step towards real democracy, said one participant at the opening. The parliament itself also had high democratic standards for its own processes. Since the end of April, around 75 refugees from 19 cantons and 15 countries had prepared for the first refugee session online in 9 commissions and drafted proposals. On the day itself, all 30 or so demands were discussed again in all committees, in some cases adapted and presented in plenary. On this basis, the session participants then selected 10 demands, which were presented to Swiss politicians from various parties and supporting organizations.
Jeyani Thiagaraja, a participant in our MePower project, was part of the health commission. Beforehand, she told us about her motivation to take part in the refugee parliament and the demands discussed in the commission.
Understanding demands
The demands were met with understanding by the parliamentarians present and some promised to pursue individual concerns. Zurich SP National Councillor Céline Widmer, for example, said: “Hardship applications are implemented differently depending on the canton. There needs to be opportunities for regularization in every canton so that many more hardship applications are possible – that’s good for both the people concerned and for Switzerland.” Currently, refugees can only submit a hardship application after five years of residence in Switzerland at the earliest and the hurdles for success are very high.
Andri Silberschmidt, a member of the FDP National Council in Zurich, supports the demand that refugees should be able to complete their apprenticeship or training even after their asylum application has been rejected: “Regardless of the outcome of the asylum decision, it should be possible to complete an apprenticeship. It makes sense, regardless of whether a person stays or returns. Everyone in Switzerland needs prospects for an apprenticeship or a course of study. The permeability of the Swiss education system is a strength that should also be open to refugees.” A motion to this effect was adopted by the National Council in 2020, but rejected by the Council of States at the beginning of this year.
The Refugee Parliament 2021 is just the beginning. Refugee Amine Diare Conde, who moderated the panel part of the event, concluded: “From now on, the voices of refugees will no longer be ignored. They want to think and have their say because they directly experience how our asylum system works – or doesn’t.”
