Code
BOF/MVF/202502/017
Duration
01 June 2025 → 31 May 2026
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Promotor
Research disciplines
-
Social sciences
- Other pedagogical and educational sciences not elsewhere classified
- European law
- Human rights law
- Immigration
Keywords
migration law
refugees
transit
people on the move
psychosocial stress
legal support
trauma
Project description
People on the move in Calais face extreme hardship, violence, and prolonged uncertainty, leading to severe psychosocial stress. Many already carry deeply rooted trauma and losses from their country of origin and the journey to and within Europe. Legal support providers face the challenge of not only providing accurate information, but also ensuring that the information is clearly understood by people on the move, despite symptoms of mental distress. The often negative message of migration law - characterised by a discouraging narrative, limited opportunities, and seemingly hopeless procedures - reinforces these feelings, making it difficult for people on the move to process information, even though it is essential for their migration journey, asylum procedure, and future prospects. To address this, this practice-oriented training provides concrete tools to a broad group of legal support providers in Calais. Through interactive methods, case analyses, and experience-sharing, participants gain insight into the effects of stress and trauma on the psychosocial well-being of people on the move and their ability to process legal information. Additionally, they receive practical tips and practice communication techniques to convey complex and potentially traumatising information in stressful contexts. These insights are compiled into a multilingual and accessible toolkit, designed for sustainable distribution in Calais and similar European contexts.