The right to seek asylum

Imagine a usual morning conversation in the comfort of your home; what do you think it would sound like? Perhaps something like this:

• Good morning!
• Good morning to you as well, do we have any coffee?
• Yes, we do, should I pour you a cup?
• Yes, please! I will make some scrambled eggs and salad.

This would sound like the start of a very ordinary morning conversation between two people who live together. Very often, we take conversations like this for granted and we do so with every other aspect of a safe and happy life.

For asylum seekers, on the other hand, this kind of conversation would be an absolute delight. But, unfortunately, many people from countries in conflict do not feel safe or comfortable in their own homes; they are not able to create the life they wanted for themselves and their families.

Most of us can’t imagine what it would be like to wake up to the sound of bombs going off in our back yard or gun shots that break our windows. Most of us can’t imagine not having any stability, not enough food, or healthcare options. What would we do if we were in a situation like this? Would we try to go to a place where we felt we could survive and actually build a decent life for ourselves?

If our human rights are being crushed in our own country, we all have the human right to seek and receive asylum in other countries. But this is far from easy in practice. Click on the following link to learn more about the right to seek asylum: www.kompaz.cisv.no – The right to seek asylum

Watch our Kompaz team’s video on the right to seek asylum:

You might ask how we include this topic into our programmes. As an example, we have recently added a new Village activity: “To flee from home”. Its purpose is to help participants gain a better understanding on the importance of the right to seek asylum and how refugees are affected by the necessity to leave their homes. Find out more about our new activity here: Click to download – To flee from home village activity