Awareness of refugee men of human rights

End of August 2020, we conducted a focus group discussion with eight male beneficiaries of international protection who live in Slovenia for at least four years or more. Due to covid-19 measures, we organized two separate discussions in small groups, one group consisting of five younger single men and the other group consisting of three married men with families. We planned to organize separate focus groups with female beneficiaries of international protection, however, due to covid-19 situation, we have not yet managed to conduct them.

The topic of our focus group discussion was refugee experience with integration in Slovenia and the obstacles they are dealing with. Within this broad frame, we focused on more specific topics: the awareness of refugees of their rights and obligations,  of women’s and children’s rights, civil and political rights, social norms in Slovenia, and also, of their changed lifestyle in a new European country (especially regarding the “ghetto” influence – a large migrant community – or “ghetto” absence in Slovenia, where, except for migrants from former Yugoslav republics, other migrants do not have large communities).

We wanted to know how much information about civil and political rights, gender equality, women’s rights, family rights and obligations, children’s rights, legislation on marriage etc. refugees obtained from their counselors from The Government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants when they were granted international protection. And how much information they got not only from their legal advisors, but also from other state institutions (such as Center for Social Work, where they had been arranging social welfare and child’s benefits or their children’s schools), NGOs (like Slovene Philanthropy or Association Odnos, which are assisting refugees with integration) or other people, like their friends.

Read the report.