Belgrade Declaration on the European Refugee Crisis

Europe faces a humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale, in our consulting rooms all across Europe we are bearing witness to this unfolding tragedy of trauma, distress and dislocation. Families fleeing conflict and persecution are dying in the attempt to find safety; those who succeed in reaching our shores are traumatised and vulnerable.  Moved and concerned by this we, the members of the European Family Therapy Association issue the following declaration:

“We are presently witnessing a movement of refugees in the order of magnitude we have not seen since the Second World War. These asylum seekers, often entire families, fleeing from wars and persecution, are victims. In the face of what these people are suffering, we, the members of the European Family Therapy Association, call upon European countries to stay true to their values and take all possible measures to offer these refugees the prospect of living in safety.”

This declaration was made at the General Assembly of the European Family Therapy Association which took place in Belgrade on the 25th of September 2015.

We urge our members to endorse this declaration.