Equal Rights Beyond Borders is publishing its third in-depth report on the use and conditions of immigration detention on Kos. For three years of being based with our legal office on the Aegean island of Kos close to the Turkish border, we have gained extensive insight into the immigration detention practices on this island and in the EU in general.

More than half of the 108 million people on the move are categorized as women. Women are particularly vulnerable in an environment of flight and migration. The real danger of sexualized and gender-based violence is omnipresent - whether in the country of origin, on the run or in Europe. Even though binding provisions, such as the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention, provide for comprehensive protection, this is nowhere to be found in reality.

We challenge the appalling living conditions in the EU Hotspots and the unlawful rejections of asylum applications based on the EU-Turkey statement. We represent clients before Greek administrative bodies and courts as well before the European Court of Human Rights.

We monitor the situation of refugees and asylum seekers who are exposed to deplorable living conditions in Greece, and take actions on their behalf before national and international courts and human rights bodies.

We challenge unlawful detention practices before Greek, European, and international courts, as well as through independent complaints mechanisms. We raise awareness about these unlawful practices through advocacy reports.

We challenge the return of asylum seekers to Greece from other EU countries, which often take place within the framework of informal deals among member states, and which amount to human rights violations due to the deficient state of Greece's asylum system. We fight for the rights of those who are subject to these illegal deportation practices.

We provide legal support to asylum seekers in Greece who want to reunite with their family members in other EU countries. We provide support throughout the entire family reunification procedure. In particular, we challenge unlawful rejections of Dublin family reunification requests by the German asylum service before administrative courts in Germany.

We challenge the unlawful administrative practices of German embassies in family reunification procedures. We primarily represent family members residing in East Africa and the Middle East, with a particular focus on unaccompanied minors.

We raise awareness towards the situation of women* on the move and built support networks. Through individual legal representation we support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). We follow a holistic approach, which includes not only representation in the asylum procedure but also in criminal proceedings and matters of family law.