Migrants and refugees in Europe are too often excluded from participating in decisions that shape their lives, a group of migrant advocates says. The European Migrant Advisory Board set out to change that by asking hundreds of migrants for their views and recommendations on how policies should be shaped.
"Refugees and migrants get fed up when they are not taken seriously," says Anila Noor. She's speaking from experience. Born in Pakistan and now based in the Netherlands, Noor knows only too well what it's like to be included in events and conferences with other migrants only "so we can tell our miserable stories." "Policymakers like to hear accounts of a hard journey on a refugee boat," she says. "They are less interested in listening to our ideas."