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Equipping Professionals for Supporting LGBT Migrants & Refugees
Start date: Sep 1, 2016, End date: Aug 31, 2018 PROJECT  FINISHED 

EpsiLon is responding to two current and urgent educational needs in Europe i.e. (1) the rise in migrant and refugee numbers (2) the persistent inequality and persecution of Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-gender groups (LGBT). Combined together these two characteristics make LGBT migrants and refugees one of the most vulnerable groups in modern Europe. Our project aims to help address this issue by increasing the knowledge, skills and awareness of all those adult professionals and volunteers who come in contact with them. According to UNHCR, in 2015, over 1.1 million migrants and refugees arrived in Europe. In 2016, this flow continues at a rate of 55,000 per month. Violence at the collective and personal level is the key driver that forces these individuals to abandon their homes. While doing so their basic needs and human rights are compromised. This also includes their free choice of identity, dignity and respect. It also includes being free to exercise their sexual orientation, have a partner from the same sex and develop a family life. It also includes exercising this right without being killed or bullied. However, the reality is different as a considerable proportion of refugees and migrants is in fact made homeless because of their sexual orientation (whether this is kept hidden or is revealed). The EU and modern Europe have signed treaties and Directives that aim to protect all individuals from persecution and discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation. Examples include the Right to Private and Family Life in the European Convention on Human Rights as well as the 2004 Directive stating unequivocally that those who face persecution for their sexual orientation and gender identity qualify as refugees and many reports showed how minorities, including LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual) people. The European Parliament EU (2015/2325(INI)) also called on all Member States to adopt asylum procedures and endeavor to develop training programmes, which are sensitive to the needs of LGBT persons and especially women.These high-level, EU-wide policy initiatives must be complemented with on-the-ground, national and local educational efforts targeted at adult professionals and volunteers who work directly with LGBT migrants and refugees. This complementary work needs to have an EU wide impact and must be evidence based and user-led. Responding to this need, EpsiLon brings together key partners from 5 case study countries to develop a training programme for professionals and volunteers working with asylum seekers and refugees in asylum centres, camps, other shelters and in local communities. The partners come from key locations in Europe where the two cross-cutting themes of migration and LGBT discrimination are particularly acute. While we will look at Italy, Greece and Cyprus as locations where not much progress has been made for LGBT rights, we will explore the Netherlands and the UK as member states that have introduced progressive practices and policies in education and training for gay issues and rights. At the same time, Greece, Italy and Cyprus are case studies for migration flow and the so called crisis.EpsiLon will adopt a user-led methodology by constructing educational tools that are based on the voices and real needs of LGBT migrants and refugees. Through theses voices, learning will take place in the form of face-to-face and online. This will be promoted both internally (between partners) and externally (nationally and EU wide). We will develop an innovative, evidence-based, user-led training methodology and contents targeting professionals and volunteers working in services for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in order to raise their awareness and sensitivity to the needs of all those with LGBT background. The educational tools will enable the professionals to identify these LGBT groups' most current and urgent needs some even reaching on issues of survival, dignity and respect. It will also help them challenge their own biases. The need for the development of such training programme is highlighted at top level by all competent organisations such as UNHCR and the EP. The intellectual outputs of Epsilon will (a) reach widely outside of the participating countries through free, online access Europe-wide (b) continue being delivered after the project's funding is finished (c) reach groups in society that would not have been otherwise able to receive the face-to-face package and in print material (d) reward and formally accredit its target audiences.

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