– facing unpayed labour and discrimination
A group of 34 Eritrean refugees departed in September 2012 from Libya with the aim of reaching Italy. As their boat got into distress and technical problems stopped their journey, Tunisian border guards rescued the refugees and brought them to Tunisia. After staying in prison for one week, the group was transferred to Zarzis, where UNHCR offered an asylum procedure to the 34 refugees. All of them received refugee status, and were pushed in the programm of local integration in Tunisia. Eventhough the refugees had no intention whatsoever to stay in Tunisia, they were moved by force to the southern town of Medenine, meant to be scattered in different places. After some arguments they could reach an agreement which would allow them to live together in two houses and to enjoy education in Medenine. Most of the refugees did not have any knowledge of the arab language, which made it hard to find any work. The ones that found work experienced circumstances of harsh exploitation, working for hours without receiving any payment. As the refugees stated, they were facing discrimination in Medenine, which limited their mobility a lot. After being cursed for being black christians, having words like “slaves” being shout at them, they stopped going to school or work, but instead decided to protest in front of UNHCR in Zarzis- stating, that local integration in Tunisia would not be an option for them – since their human rights can not be protected.
After one week of sit-in in front of the UNHCR offices in Zarzis, they didn’t get any solution offered to their situation. They joined the group of refugees from Choucha Camp, that are also meant to be locally integration. On March 29th 2013, they embarked together on a protest and hunger strike in front of UNHCR in Tunis. Finally, on April 17th they decided to leave Mednine and instead go to Choucha Camp, as other refugees. By this, they underline their refusal of the local integration, that they could not make work.
The programm of local integration is financed by different EU-member states. And is apparently used to prepare Tunisia becoming a “safe third country” in the eyes of EU, to which the EU – in this case cooperating with UNHCR – can externalize responsibilities.
The refugees experiences of forced “integration”, harsh exploitation and discrimination indicates clearly that UNHCRs programm of “local integration” is a farce.
The hungerstriking refugees are demanding Resettlement for all of them! Freedom of Movement and Settlement!
