The Tunisian Association for the Support of Minorities (French: ATSM), on Saturday, held a panel discussion on the theme of “Plea for Migrants”, in partnership with the Arab Institute for Human Rights (IADH).

The meeting is part of a programme initiated by the IADH with the Swiss cooperation “Putting Migrants’ Human Rights at the Heart of Tunisian Public Policies”.

An awareness-raising spot was broadcast. It included testimonies made by human rights activists and artists such as Bochra Belhaj Hmida, Marwan El Erian, Chedly Arfaoui and Rabeb Srairi. they called for improving migrants’ living conditions, protecting them against dangers threatening them as well as developing a legal framework guaranteeing their rights.

Representatives of municipalities, who attended the meeting, gave an overview on their actions intended to help migrants in terms of medical assistance, food aid and enrolling their children in schools.

The recommendations of the panel discussion included the establishment of a committee bringing together the parties involved in monitoring migrants’ concerns. It was also decided to create an observatory with the mission to identify the difficulties facing migrants, particularly sorting out their administrative situation, such as students’ residence permits.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief of Mission and Senior Regional Project Manager, as well as civil society actors and representatives of the IADH.

Representatives of several organisations from sub-Saharan Africa and the municipalities of Carthage, La Goulette, La Marsa and Bhar Lazreg also took part in the event.

Source: Tap News Agency