During November, over 3,513 individuals were intercepted or rescued along the coast of Tunisia while attempting to reach Europe, a 14% decrease compared to the observed trend in recent months. During the month, around 100 people perished while attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean in November 2022, as more than 7,000 people arrived to Italy from North Africa.
Operational Response
To ensure the protection of refugee and asylum seeker children at risk of abuse, neglect, and violence in schools, UNHCR and partner the Tunisian Scouts collaborated with a Tunisian public school to promote educational sessions with the host community focusing on refugee rights. In 2022, a total of 245 refugee and asylum-seeking children are enrolled in Tunisian public schools, of which 211 are supported by an education grant to help them purchase books and supplies. UNHCR engages closely with its partners and national counterparts to advocate for the inclusion of displaced children into national educational services, mainly primary and secondary education.
On 23 – 24 November, UNHCR and partner the Arab Institute for Human Rights (AIHR)— in coordination with Tunisia’s Ministry of Interior—organized a training session in the Zarzis governorate, which attended by 37 participants from the Tunisian Directorate for Frontiers and Foreigners (DFE), the Human Rights Directorate, Civil protection guards and the Directorate of International Cooperation. The training aimed at familiarizing local authorities with international guidelines for refugee protection, the principle of non-refoulment, and the importance of the socio-economic inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in Tunisia.
From 28 – 30 November, UNHCR, AIHR, and the Helsinki committee—together with the law clinic of the University of juridical, political, and social science of Tunis—held the 4th edition of the “Maghreb Protégé” seminar for university professors. During the seminar, participants from Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco discussed issues of displacement across North Africa, and highlighted the critical role of academic research in finding durable solutions for refugees and asylum seekers.
UNHCR partnered with the Tunisian start-up ‘GoMyCode’ to launch web development and coding courses aimed at building skills and capacities for refugees, in line with UNHCR’s digital inclusion strategy. Participants will benefit from trainings in the development of both front-end and back-end elements of web applications, and provided with tools to design web applications and websites.
Throughout November, several activities were organized by UNHCR and partner CTR to mark “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” across the country. Refugees, asylum seekers, host community members, and humanitarian workers benefited from the several events and activities including movie screenings in shelters hosting asylum seekers, as well as psychological sessions for survivors of gender-based violence, as well as informative classes and activities for children.
Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees