Malaga Pilot
CURRENT SITUATION
The region of Malaga continues to welcome an increasing number of refugees. In part due to these large numbers, many refugees struggle to navigate the asylum process and can face even greater challenges in finding employment. Even with resources to assist migrants, the asylum process can be incredibly complex, long and frustrating. Likewise, migrants face legal, linguistic and cultural barriers to finding employment.
While existing immigration services provide information and assistance to refugees, these resources are limited and struggle to meet the needs of refugees. One of the many challenges faced by refugees is that information often exists primarily in Spanish or a limited number of additional languages. Also, much of the information regarding asylum and employment is only available at government offices or official websites. These shortcomings often leave refugees with many questions as to the procedures that they need to follow and a lack of awareness of additional resources that are available to them.
EASYRIGHTS SERVICE FOCUS
Service 1: Asylum Seeking
Description of the service: Description of the service: In coordination with the Office of Asylum and Refuge, the National Police force in Spain is the primary civilian policing body of the Spanish government. The National Police are responsible for processing and interviewing immigrants and refugees upon entering the country.
Service 2: Guide to Employment
Description of the service:
The Cruz Roja in Malaga is the local branch of the larger Red Cross organization which focuses on a wide range of humanitarian responses. In Spain, the Red Cross is responsible for the initial care of asylum seekers for a period of approximately 90 days.
The Office of Employment also provides employment assistance and training to all Spanish citizens and legal migrants. This department has offices located throughout Malaga.
Combining the two services
The wiki developed for the second hackathon also welcomes the challenge generated in the first hackathon. The decision, contributes to making the wiki-solution a space where relevant information and knowledge are gathered, also paving the way for additional future implementations, which would make the space richer and further supportive of migrants in their attempt to exert their rights.