RefugePoint believes that family unity, a fundamental human right, should be accessible to refugees no matter where they come from or where their families are located. We work to expand solutions to reunite refugee families and make family reunification more accessible to refugees worldwide.
Refugees fleeing their home countries are often separated from family and loved ones along the way, sometimes never reuniting again. Those lucky enough to trace the whereabouts of lost family members often remain separated by international borders and restrictive immigration laws. As a result, countless refugees, discouraged by the enormous hurdles preventing reunification, decide to move on with the assistance of smugglers, often risking human trafficking, violence, detention, and possibly death.
In 2019, RefugePoint partnered with UNHCR and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) to help refugee minors and youth along the Central Mediterranean migration path reunite with family members in Europe and other Western countries. The program has since expanded to other regions as well. We create systems to identify eligible refugees, coordinate with partners, advocate with destination governments, conduct child protection assessments and generally act as case managers for all necessary steps in the family reunification process.
In addition to casework, RefugePoint has played a leading role in global policy conversations related to family reunification. Through a deployment to UNHCR Headquarters, we have staffed the secretariat of the global Family Reunification Network and its Advisory Group. We have also deployed Experts to critical policy positions in UNHCR’s Europea Bureau and their Germany operation.