Violence and security in the context of flight and asylum

Even after a positive asylum decision, the everyday lives of refugees remain marked by experiences of insecurity and violence, as an ongoing SNSF project demonstrates. What does this mean for different fields of practice and how can professionals intervene?

25.10.2024, 9am–2pm – Congress centre of the Hotel Kreuz, Zeughausgasse 41, 3011 Bern, on the 1st floor in the «Bovet» room

Flight and violence are closely linked. In many cases, violence is the reason for flight, and flight is the only means to escape this violence. Under favorable circumstances, the flight ends in a place that offers safety and protection. In legal terms, asylum - formal protection by a state - describes a protective space for people who experience persecution in their home country because of their nationality, religion, political beliefs or membership of a particular social group. However, it is unclear how far-reaching this protection is and what limits it. Does asylum enable a return to normality, to a subjectively fulfilling everyday life worth living? Is asylum synonymous with freedom from violence?

The results of an ongoing SNSF-research project on the interplay between protection and violence in the context of flight and asylum show that experiences of insecurity and violence continue shaping the everyday lives of refugees even after a positive asylum decision. This has a severe impact on the well-being of these people and on their participation in various areas of society. The interplay between protection and violence in the context of flight and asylum is therefore an important, overarching topic for various fields of social work.

This symposium brings together experts from academia and practice to discuss the research findings presented and to jointly develop recommendations for action. The main focus will be on potential implications of scientific findings for practice of social work and related professions. The participants' views on the following questions are of particular interest:

How can different areas of social work respond to experiences of protection and violence in the context of flight and asylum?
What parallels can be drawn with the experiences of other social groups without refugee experience? What are the particular challenges and problems in the context of flight and asylum?
Which needs for further research and action can be identified?

We aim to discuss these and other questions in thematic workshops and then summarise the results in a written documentation.

Factsheet

Start date 25.10.2024, 9am–2pm
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Place Congress centre of the Hotel Kreuz, Zeughausgasse 41, 3011 Bern, on the 1st floor in the «Bovet» room
Application deadline 11th October 2024
Costs The event is free of charge.

Kontakt

Research project: Articulations and Repercussions of Violence in Refugee Reception and Settlement

Registration

Programme

Time	Programme
9 a.m.	Welcome
9:15 a.m.	Input presentation, based on research findings and results from a workshop with refugees The presentation deals with the following main points: Overview of the current state of interdisciplinary scholarship with the interplay of security and violence in the context of flight and asylum. Key findings from our research in Switzerland and Norway What do our research findings mean in the light of current developments in Switzerland and for different fields of action in social work?
10:00 a.m.	Question and answer
10:30 a.m.	Break
10:50 a.m.	Workshops
11:50 a.m.	Break
12:10 a.m.	Final round: workshop leaders discuss best practices in dealing with protection and violence and open questions from the perspective of the fields of action
From 1:10 p.m.	Joint lunch

Dr Carolin Fischer, Head of the National Science Foundation project "The interplay of protection and violence in the context of flight and asylum", Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH
Manuel Insberg, PhD student and research assistant on the National Science Foundation project "The interplay between protection and violence in the context of flight and asylum", Social Work, Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH

Workshop leader:

Markus Bieri, Institute of Social Security and Social Policy, Social Work, Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH
Simone Gäumann, Institute of Social and Cultural Diversity, Social Work, Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH
Regina Jenzer, Institute Childhood, Youth and Family, Social Work, Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH
Stefanie Kurt, Institut Travail Social, HES-SO Valais/Wallis