1. Discover
  2. Blog
  3. Blog Contributors
  4. Linda Kristin Ringel

Linda Kristin Ringel

Linda Kristin Ringel

Do-it-yourself social protection by refugees and asylum seekers in Denmark

Linda Kristin Ringel's picture
Submitted by Linda Kristin Ringel
on Sun, 15/12/2019 - 18:47
A 2018 study by the Refugee Centre of the University of Oxford explains that the global narrative on social protection for refugees and asylum seekers is still mainly one-sided, with a common understanding that “international organisations are the protectors and refugees are the protected” (University of Oxford 2018, p.1). Refugees are seen as passive in the system of social protection in that little recognition is given to refugee-led initiatives for the latter. So-called refugee-led community organisations (RCOs) generally lack funding, support, and recognition even though often providing essential social protection help in national groups of refugee communities or across nationalities (Ibid, 1 and 3). This blog series has explored and analysed the field of actors in the Danish social...Read more

Tags:

Informal peer-to-peer social protection for refugees and asylum seekers in Denmark

Linda Kristin Ringel's picture
Submitted by Linda Kristin Ringel
on Mon, 21/10/2019 - 08:24
Marco Verch, Flickr, 2018.
The Danish government have clear rules set out for the acceptance of refugees and asylum seekers into the country, with the integration process being administered in a clear and straight-forward process (see previous articles in this blog series). However, many cases fall into a grey area of laws and regulations, leaving people in need of help that the government might not be able to provide – this is where Danish volunteer initiatives are stepping to help secure social protection for refugees and asylum seekers. This article explores the initiatives Refugees Welcome and Student Refugees , which provide volunteer help in different aspects of social protection (These initiatives were selected on a random basis, to present two very different approaches to volunteer work...Read more

Tags:

Insights from Denmark’s community driven integration of refugees and asylum seekers

Linda Kristin Ringel's picture
Submitted by Linda Kristin Ringel
on Mon, 30/09/2019 - 08:38
The Danish Refugee Council has supported the integration of refugees around the world. Mahfud Mohamed received a grant to help set up a business to improve his livelihood in Algeria. Photo credit: Louiza Ammi, 2018, Flickr.
“We assist refugees and the displaced, protect their rights and empower them towards a better future”, proclaims the mission statement of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) (Danish Refugee Council, 2019a). The DRC is a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-profit organisation, providing support to refugees and asylum seekers in Denmark. Its approach to supporting these vulnerable people provides valuable insights, and potentially replicable social protection tools, for catering to humanitarian contexts. In particular, its community driven professional training and social integration services, which cater to some of the most pressing demands of displaced people. The challenges facing refugees and asylum seekers are becoming increasingly pertinent, as the world faces mounting...Read more

Tags:

Social Protection of Refugees in Denmark: Eligibility and Integration

Linda Kristin Ringel's picture
Submitted by Linda Kristin Ringel
on Mon, 24/06/2019 - 10:18
“Der er et yndigt land” (there is a lovely country) - this first line from the Danish national anthem is certainly true when talking about its citizens’ social protection. Denmark is globally considered a generous country in providing social protection and caring for people’s wellbeing. However, this only applies to citizens and legal residents . For refugees, limits on access to social protection mean not everyone can enjoy this lovely country. In terms of national social protection expenditure, Denmark is amongst the top five spenders in the European Union (EU). The country dedicated around 22% of its gross domestic product (GDP), or approximately US$ 100,000, on social protection in 2017 (Eurostat, 2019; Jendresen, n.d.). This high level of social protection is...Read more

Tags: