“Protect Children on the Move”
In light of this year’s World Refugee Day, we cordially invite you for the cross-party event “Protect Children on the Move”, taking place on 14 June, 17.30-21.00 in room PHS 1A2. Please register through the following link.
During this event, we will have an exclusive screening of award winning documentary Shadow Game, and panel discussion on the rights of children with the main protagonists Sajid, Mustafa and Jano, directors Els van Driel and Eefje Blankevoort as well as Alexandra Cupsan-Catalin, representing Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson. The panel will be chaired by Josephine Liebl, Head of Advocacy at the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE).
Shadow Game is an impressive documentary which follows the dangerous journey of unaccompanied children at the borders of and through the EU, facing extremely difficult conditions and (violent) pushbacks on their way. The documentary is nominated for several awards and prizes all over Europe, and already won the Prix Europa 2021, Youth Jury Award and the Grand Prize of Geneva at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights.
Together with a broad coalition consisting of MEPs from several political groups in the European Parliament, we will use the opportunity of this year’s World Refugee Day to organise this large scale event and raise attention to the situation of refugee children and their journey at the borders of and within the EU.
One of the main purposes of this initiative is to give the children from the movie a platform to tell their story to a large audience of European policymakers and NGOs, and to raise attention with regards to the terrible conditions that a lot of children on the move have to face in the EU.
We hope to welcome many of you on the 14th.
Kind Regards,
Cornelia Ernst, The Left
Birgit Sippel, S&D
Tineke Strik, Greens/EFA
Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Renew Europe
Programme
17:30-18:00 Light sandwich dinner
18:00-18:10 Short welcome by Birgit Sippel, MEP S&D
18:10-19:10 Screening of „Shadow Game“
19:10-19:40 Statements by Sajid, Jano and Mustafa, protagonists of „Shadow Game“
19:40-19:45 Handover of petition to Alexandra Cupsan-Catalin, Deputy Head of Cabinet for Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson
19:45-20:10 Panel discussion with Sajid Khan, Els van Driel, Eefje Blankevoort, protagonist and directors of „Shadow Game“, Alexandra Cupsan-Catalin and Tineke Strik, MEP Greens/EFA. Moderation: Josephine Liebl (ECRE)
20:10-20:30 Q&A with the audience
20:30-20:40 Closing remarks by Cornelia Ernst, MEP The Left
One-on-one meetings with the kids and/or filmmakers
Mustafa, Jano and Sajid Khan will also be present in Brussels on the 15th of June for one-on-one meetings. Please send an email to Els van Driel (vandriel.els@gmail.com) if you want to talk to the kids and/or the filmmakers in private.
More information
Shadow Game is an interactive transmedia project by Eefje Blankevoort and Els van Driel, in collaboration with many others. It consists of a feature-length documentary, a documentary series of shorts, an adventure game, a photo series in collaboration with Cigdem Yuksel, an exhibition and an impact campaign.
Don’t forget to sign the petition!