Avenida General Perón, 32 2 Dcha
28020 Madrid
MADRID
Spain
- Human rights
The Spanish Commission for Refugees (CEAR) is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1979 with a volunteer, humanitarian, independent and plural approach. CEAR was founded based on strong ethical values, such as justice, solidarity, freedom, equality, plurality, transparency and coherence. The defence of these values is our main incentive to carry out our duties.
Our fundamental aim is the defence and promotion of the right of asylum as well as the human rights of asylum seekers, refugees, internally displaced people, migrants in a vulnerable situation and stateless people.
The Social Intervention line is developed through four departments: the Legal Department, the Sheltering Department, the Social Department and the Training and Employment Department.
In the legal department, more than 150 lawyers work everyday giving advice and defending the rights of asylum seekers, refugees, stateless and displaced people and migrants in a vulnerable situation taking into account the specific circumstances of each person and the political and human rights situation in their country of origin.
CEAR’s Legal Department lawyers are distributed along the Spanish territory through different regional offices that are mainly located near key points of access to international protection procedures such as airports, coasts and ports with a 24 hours guard service. CEAR lawyers use strategic litigation to advance the rights of asylum seekers, refugees, stateless and displaced people and migrants in a vulnerable situation before national, international and regional courts such as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
It is important to highlight that in the last year our lawyers have received several ECHR positive decisions that have blocked the expulsion of asylum seekers whose asylum applications were denied while the Spanish court reaches a decision on the appeal. Recently, the United Nation Committee against torture reached a positive decision in a case carried out by CEAR (C/47/D/368/2008).
Concerning Shelter, Social and training and employment department it is important to point out that CEAR’s programs are defined by actions aiming to strengthen the wellbeing, autonomy and dignity of people from an integral approach covering shelter, social and psychological assistance and employment orientation.
The advocacy and social participation line aims to carry out actions and processes to have a direct impact on the normative, institutional, political and social structures to work for the defence of the right of asylum and access of all their rights. The work is articulated by five lines of action that are complementary and mutually dependent:
- Advocacy, raising- awareness, communication and knowledge management.
- Social movements and networks.
- International Strategy
- Intercultural coexistence
- Voluntary work and social participation.