04Apr By insadminApril 19, 2018Advocacy Advocacy Insan Association advocates for the rights of those people who are the most marginalised within the Lebanese society as well as in the MENA, Gulf and Euro-Mediterranean regions through CCRM which is short for the Cross Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants (www.crossregionalcenter.org). Insan works from the assumption that an organisation which solely meets the presenting necessities of marginalised community members, and acts without addressing the underlying causes of suffering, is at risk of inadvertently strengthening the systems which are the causes of suffering and injustice to those communities. Therefore, through campaigning, awareness raising and lobbying, Insan endeavours to build the structure that recognises also the human rights of these population cohorts. Insan and CCRM have identified migrant domestic workers (MDWs) as a particularly vulnerable population group whose rights are systematically violated in Lebanon and in the region. One of the main issues that Insan targets through its advocacy program, is the Kafala sponsorship system which Human Rights Watch has compared to modern day slavery[1]. Capacity Building and Awareness Raising Insan and CCRM believe that capacity building and awareness raising activities are a fundamental first step in shifting attitudes, fostering behaviour change and creating political and community will. Insan and CCRM seek to improve stakeholder’s capacity to advocate for the rights of migrants and increase awareness about society’s responsibility to protect the human rights of all people regardless, for example, of their country of origin, religion, gender or age by publishing information materials, holding capacity building workshops and awareness raising sessions. Insan’s and CCRM’s capacity building and awareness raising activities are directed at beneficiaries themselves, community-based organisations (CSOs), the general public and decision makers. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/01/04/lebanons-abusive-kafala-sponsorship-system Campaigning Campaigning is a key component of Insan’s and CCRM’s advocacy strategy. Insan and CCRM believe that effective advocacy is a result of strategic processes intended to achieve a specific goal. Insan has coordinated and contributed to several national campaigns intended to engage the Lebanese public in a discussion regarding the unjust nature of the “sponsorship system” that currently governs migrant domestic workers employment conditions. Insan also encourages other CSOs in the region to do so through the capacity building activities it conducts in the region through CCRM. Lobbying Insan and CCRM actively seek and create opportunities to influence key decision makers within the Lebanese society and in the MENA, Gulf and Euro-Mediterranean regions. Insan and CCRM believe political figures must not only respond to the wishes of those on behalf they govern but must also play a leadership role in establishing community standards. 2021 in numbers: Co-organised the People’s Migration Challenge webinar series Held one regional civil society consultation online and two national civil society consultations in Lebanon and in the United Arab Emirates Published a report on migrant children Launched a petition, collected 450 signatures and addressed the Lebanese General Security through a letter calling for changes in regards to policies concerning MDWs (facilitations and fee waivers)