Abstract
A “social movement for the right to asylum” was formed in Geneva in the 1980s, both to defend the right of asylum newly codified in the 1981 Asylum Act, the first revisions of which, in 1983 and 1986, already showed the restrictive and security-oriented orientation of the latter, as well as to defend the situation of asylum seekers and refugees, against a backdrop of increasing and diversified applications, the growing association of these people with insecurity and crime, and a decline in the protest of former associations. The aim of the research is to look back at the history of this movement. We seek to understand the origins of this movement, and in particular the period between the two world wars and the 1980s. We show that associations were set up and organised during the inter-war period to defend the reception of refugees, and that they were active during the Second World War, a ‘dark’ period for asylum in Switzerland, as highlighted by the Ludwig report of 1957. After the Second World War, the associations became partners of the State. This consensus was called into question in the 1970s and 1980s. The camp was then split in two: a more protesting camp and a service-providing camp. This research thus shows how the defence of the right to asylum was (re)organised in Geneva in the context of the institutionalisation of associations and the tightening of asylum policies.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—The World on the Move: Understanding Migration in a New Global Age
KEYWORDS
Social movement, Asylum, Refugees, Activism, Rights, Organizations, Associations, History
