Materials matter! Preliminary Research Findings on Return Migration Infrastructures in Greece.

In early September 2023, the research team of the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) started fieldwork in Greece within the scope of the GAPs project (entitled “De-centring the Study of Migrant Returns and Readmission Policies in Europe and Beyond”), particularly focusing on Return Migration Infrastructures (RMIs). Research on RMIs aims to bring to the fore how return migration governance is put into practice…

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GreeceInside GAPsEKKE
Beyond Borders: Reflections on the Repatriation Journey

The global landscape has witnessed unprecedented waves of migration and displacement, with millions of individuals seeking refuge in foreign lands. While the journey to a new home is often fraught with challenges, the return to one's homeland can be equally complex. By the end of 2022, 108.4 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. Around 6 million displaced people returned to their areas or countries of origin in 2022, including 5.7 million…

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Yazidis in Germany: Don’t Deport - Negotiate

‘‘Since I arrived here, I haven't taken a moment off, I've always tried to educate myself, I've taken the language up to C1, and I've always worked. And then my Abitur was only recognised as a Fachabitur [technical diploma], so I'm doing my Abitur at an evening school. And I did everything I could to stay here, to find a home here. But they want to deport me’’. – Alia Hassan. 2023 marks the year in which the German parliament unanimously recognised the genocide of the Yazidi population in Shingal (kurd.) /Sinjar (arab.) in Iraq: a geno…

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Syrian Returnees from Jordan to Syria in Focus

Studies have found that the majority of Syrian refugees in Jordan aspire to return to Syria but their return plans are contingent on the improvement of security conditions and the availability of essential services in Syria. Syrian refugee family networks and social capital play a significant role in shaping return aspirations, with refugees who have strong family networks and social capital in Syria being more likely to aspire to return. Syrian refugee youth in Jordan also have high aspirations for the future to return to Syria. However…

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Charting the Path Home: Syrian Refugee Return from Jordan to Syria

This blog post explores the return migration of Syrian refugees from Jordan due to the 2011 Syrian conflict, which led to a significant refugee crisis. Millions of Syrians were forced to flee from their home due to conflict, violence, and instability in their country. Jordan hosted a significant number of Syrian refugees, providing safety, shelter, and humanitarian assistance. However, as conditions in Syria evolved, the prospect of return migration became more important. It is thus critical to investigate the complex issues underlying the…

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