In 1997 PRIME became a full-fledged foundation after three years of preliminary work. It was originally founded by some political refugees who lived and worked in The Netherlands. The primary goal of PRIME is to correct the negative publicity surrounding refugees and to influence the official policy in favour of those refugees. PRIME offers direct help to refugees who are facing problems during their stay in The Netherlands or any other European country. Furthermore, the foundation is an important alternative source of information for lawyers, journalists and other persons and organizations involved.

About PRIME

PRIME stands for 'Participating Refugees In Multicultural Europe'. Within the organization refugees with several nationalities and different backgrounds work together to improve the situation of refugees in Europe. The key concept is participation. Too often, asylum seekers and refugees are perceived as a fringe group of passive objects. Outsiders report about them and decide their affairs. Refugees want to raise their own voices, define and handle their own interests, and participate actively in the transfer of information, agenda-building and consciousness-raising.

Background

PRIME was established in response to the growing deterioration of the position of refugees and asylum seekers in The Netherlands and Europe. Recent years have seen the tightening up of immigration and asylum procedures, which have become mere restrictive, more harsh and less fair. The uncertainty and fear among refugees and asylum seekers has increased ever since. They fear deportation. But above all they fear being persecuted in their home countries. Contrary to the official reports, these are all too often far from safe. The situation in the cramped refugee centers is getting more critical every day. The extreme paternalistic treatment has turned many asylum seekers into lethargic wrecks. They have no outlet whatsoever to express their feelings of frustration and disappointment. The number of attempted suicides has exceeded one hundred, many families have fallen apart and the abuse of alcohol and drugs has become habitual. Under these conditions a number of active people from several refugee centers have decided to do something about the miserable situation of asylum seekers in The Netherlands and Europe. In PRIME they found their organizational base.

What PRIME does.

First of all PRIME aims at the direct improvement of the refugee centers. It has established a 24-hour help desk for cases of emergency such as suicide attempts, hunger strikes, sudden
expulsions, family problems, mental problems and conflicts with the official staff. PRIME'S long-term strategy aims at a structure improvement of the position of refugees and asylum seekers in The
Netherlands and Europe. The primary policy statement is that asylum seekers should be much more involved in the way they are PRIME'S secretary is at:

Stationsweg 62

2515 BP Den Haag

Tel: 00-31-70-3050415

Fax: 00-31-70-4020917

Gifts to the foundation are highly appreciated. Donations can be deposit into giro number 7699299

What more could PRIME do?

At this moment the financial and organizational means of PRIME are limited. There are enough people who are willing to help but there is just a lack of money to carry through some of the planned activities. These activities are:

• To publish a 'black book' which deals with the unfair state of affairs in a large number of asylum cases in The Netherlands. PRIME co-operates with a number of leading lawyers and other refugee organizations.
• To publish a regular newspaper written by and for refugees.
• To organize management training for representatives from asylum centers.
• To increase the number of contacts which receive information from PRIME.
• To support lawyers by providing accurate background information. This information can literally save the lives of their clients. Alas, retrieving such sensitive information requires the strengthening of the international network which is difficult given the limited budget.

1. PRIME actively takes action when the interests of asylum seekers and refugees are being threatened. This concerns the prevention of suicide attempts, support in case of psychological problems, mediation in disputes with the official staff, protests against sudden deportations.
2. PRIME assists the self-organization of asylum seekers and refugees. Representatives from all refugee centers are brought into contact. Information is exchanged and disseminated to the asylum centers. For this reason PRIME plans to publish a newspaper to give the refugees the possibility to share their stories and to keep them informed about the latest developments in the government policy. PRIME also tries to join the forces of individual refugees and refugee self-organizations to have a larger impact on the political arena.
3. PRIME already functions as a press and information office. PRIME can be contacted from Monday to thursday for requests of asylum seekers and refugees and questions of other persons involved (lawyers, journalists). At a regular base, PRIME provides relevant organizations, persons and media with the latest news on the developments in the government policy and the situation in the refugee centers.
4. PRIME is building a network with migrant organizations, Dutch social organizations and other refugee organizations in Europe .
5. PRIME makes and maintains contacts with politicians in The Netherlands and Europe and tries to influence the decision making process with objective and solid reports. Representatives of PRIME participate regularly in various panel discussions and political debates.