
This mini-study offers a summary of the successes and challenges in assisting refugees displaced from Ukraine in the Czech Republic to date. The text is based on the ongoing research series Voice of Ukrainians, conducted since June 2022 by PAQ Research in cooperation with the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
(Text and image source: PAQ Research 2024)
The document reflects on the challenges facing the Czech Republic in the integration of refugees, discusses what measures have the potential to positively influence integration, and warns of the negative effects of underestimating these. It also provides an outlook for 2024 and beyond.
In the Czech Republic the majority of refugees carry out low-skilled (and often irregular) work, and are precariously employed. The study's authors consider the main risks of the continuation of this trend for those from Ukraine, such as inability to meet basic needs or to secure standard housing. Income poverty, to which such work often leads, is associated with dependency on welfare benefits, the risk of falling into debt, and increasing psychological problems for refugees. Frustration can lead to radicalisation, conflict with the majority, isolated communities and rejection of integration.
Mitigating these risks: recommendations
The authors of the study recommend setting measurable integration goals and monitoring capacities in the areas of education and housing, and enabling at least partial integration of refugees into the mainstream welfare system (refugees are only entitled to access so-called 'humanitarian benefits' and, to a limited extent, so-called 'emergency assistance').
In education, the study finds that it is necessary to strengthen the capacity and intensity of Czech language courses for all refugee groups, to expand the capacity of pre-school education, to involve children in clubs, to remove barriers to accessing and completing secondary education, and to support the inclusion of Ukrainian teaching assistants in Czech schools. Further, according to the study, it is crucial that the availability of housing be expanded. With reference to employment, the study highlights the importance of accelerating the recognition of qualifications, enabling retraining, and strengthening the assistance offered in accessing the labour market.
Details
- Authors
- Kateřina Šafářová, Daniel Prokop, Michael Škvrňák, Michal Kunc
- Contributor type
- Academics and experts
- Original source
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