The right of asylum: an international human right included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the Geneva Convention and the Spanish Constitution, among others. It consists of the protection offered by a State to certain people whose fundamental rights are threatened by acts of persecution or violence.
International protection is a term that encompasses both refugee status and subsidiary protection. It is often confused with the term refugee status, but it is necessary to emphasize that the term international protection is broader. It can include the following:
In all situations, one of the biggest barriers for refugees is access to education and the labour market. In general, if they are able to find (illegal) work, they are often working (and exploited) in precarious jobs such as food delivery (which is an extremely demanding job in Spain and mainly done by refugees and migrants), and can barely or not at all make it to the end of the month, let alone the physical and mental challenges most people in such situations face.
While many people have a high motivation to upskill and further develop themselves, work in better conditions and as a result, gain stability and the opportunity to provide for their families, they simply do not have the chance to do so as they either lack papers, economic means, knowledge of the labour market and/or the skills requested for certain jobs.
Apart from the above, it is also important to mention that trauma and other kinds of negative past or present experiences often block many refugee populations in Spain from participating in more advanced upskilling programs, as often, these programs are not prepared to work with people from this context.
Moreover, while a refugee with papers has - in theory - access to the health system of Spain, which includes (very) basic psychosocial support, the professionals offering this support are not specialized in the specific cultural backgrounds and are not specialized in working with the mental challenges that refugees commonly face.
Concluding, there are many improvements possible in refugee reception system, and there are huge gaps to fill in terms of adequate support on various levels, including education, mental support and labour integration. Luckily, there are various, specialized NGOs carrying out programs with a specific focus on exactly that, and like us, provide a holistic approach to specialized refugee care.