Asylum Seekers in the European Union: Building Evidence to Inform Policy Making 3 Acknowledgements This study was led by the World Bank Poverty and Equity Global Practice and the Re- search and Data Groups of the Development Economics Vice-Presidency and prepared by a team comprising Mohamed Abdel Jelil, Paul Andres Corral Rodas, Anais Dahmani Scuitti, María E. Dávalos, Giorgia Demarchi, Neslihan Demirel, Quy-Toan Do, Rema Han- na, Deivy Houeix, Sara Lenehan, and Harriet Mugera, with contributions from Rima Al- Azar, Kartika Bhatia, Daniele Bolazzi, Sédi-Anne Boukaka, Gero Carletto, Setou Diarra, Rawaa Harati, Jonathan G. Kastelic, Nealia Khan, and Taies Nezam. The literacy assess- ment was developed by the OECD, particularly Marta Encinas and Francois Keslair, who also provided analytical support for the study. The work was done under the leadership of Arup Banerji, Asli Demirguç-Kunt, Shan- tayanan Devarajan, Xavier Devictor, Francisco Ferreira, Saroj Kumar Jha, Luis Felipe Lopez Calva, Ana L. Revenga, and Carolina Sanchez Paramo. It was financed by Trust Funds from the Fragility, Conflict, and Violence Cross-Cutting Solutions Area and the Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality. Data collection was managed by the Center for Development Data (C4D2), the World Bank’s Rome-based hub for innovation in household surveys and agricultural statistics, and conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior in Italy and the Ministry of Migration Policy in Greece. The fieldwork was carried out by the Centro Studi di Politica Internazionale in Italy and Kapa-Research in Greece. The team is grateful for comments from peer reviewers Andrew Dabalen, Supriyo De, Roberta Gatti, Rainer Münz, Abla Safir, Kinnon Scott, and Kirsten Schuettler. The team also received valuable comments from Caroline Bahnson, Christian Bodewig, Jishnu Das, Xavier Devictor, Jo de Berry, Ruth Hill, Kristen Himelein, Nandini Krishnan, Daniel Lederman, Federica Marzo, Moritz Meyer, Ana Maria Munoz, Jacob Shapiro, Aki Stav- rous, Paolo Verme, Tara Vishwanath, and Roy van der Weide. The team also appreciates the support throughout the preparation of this report from Julia Barrera, Marta Mueller 4 | ASYLUM SEEKERS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: Building Evidence to Inform Policy Making Guicciardini, Sergio Lugaresi and Nikolaos Schmidt, and the logistical support of Ar- manda Carcani and Indiana Taylor. The report benefitted from editing by Anne Grant, and cartographic inputs from Bruno Bonansea. The team thanks the staff of the Unit- ed Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Italy and Greece for their help throughout the study and the local authorities and staff in centers who made fieldwork possible. The report benefitted in Brussels from comments of the European Council, the Euro- pean Commission Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs, the Director- ate General for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, the Director- ate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and the European Political Strategy Centre; in Greece from the Ministry of Migration Policy; and in Italy from the Ministry of Interior and the Prime Minister’s Migration Sherpa. The team also received valuable comments from the International Organization for Migration team in Italy and Greece, and the UNHCR team in Greece, Italy, and Switzerland. 5 Overview The need to build evidence an assessment of skills through a computer-based literacy test comparable to the OECD adult literacy Policy needs to be informed by facts: the more that test, and an evaluation of the respondents’ symp- is known about those who may be affected, the toms of anxiety and depression. The skills assess- more realistic and achievable a policy’s goals will ment complements the self-reported educational be. However, while there have been massive move- attainment data. The screening of anxiety and de- ments of people across borders in recent years, pression has implications for how asylum seekers many entering the European Union (EU), there is can be helped to adapt to new situations. little systematic data about them available. Most of the evidence that is available is anecdotal and Who are the asylum seekers? journalistic; it deals primarily with the tragedies of migrants in transit rather than providing hard data The asylum seekers in Greece are different from on which policy-makers can base policies. those in Italy. Those in Greece mostly came as families from the Syrian Arab Republic, Iraq, and In 2015 and 2016, migrant flows into the EU surged, Afghanistan and, based on past EU recognition with Greece and Italy the main entry points. Many rates, are more likely to be granted international of the migrants applied for international protec- protection status. Those in Italy were mainly single tion in Europe, becoming asylum seekers. This young men, a large share from West Africa, with spike in EU asylum seekers, as well as the in- many facing a low probability of being granted any creasing numbers of those granted refugee sta- legal status in Europe. tus, brought a need for information on who they are—their sociodemographic characteristics; their The journey to the EU followed a few main routes: education and work experience; their experience through Niger for West Africans or Sudan for on the journey to Italy and Greece; and what it cost East Africans on their way to Libya to make the them not only financially but also physically and sea crossing to Italy; or through Turkey, passing emotionally to get there. through Iran for Afghans, to make the sea crossing to Greece. The journey was much longer for those This study took a rigorous approach to ensure in Italy, who spent about a month and a half in that it produced hard data to support policy deci- each of about three main transit points, compared sions—decisions made not only in receiving coun- to over a week in each for those in Greece. Partic- tries but also in countries of origin and transit. The ularly on the routes towards Italy, asylum seekers first step, in early 2017, was to survey adults in asy- encountered violence in transit—that happened lum centers in Greece and Italy, to learn more de- to nearly half of those in Italy, even before the per- tails about them and about their experience on the ilous crossing of the Mediterranean in inflatable journey. The study made two novel contributions: boats. 6 | ASYLUM SEEKERS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: Building Evidence to Inform Policy Making Where there are data for comparison, it appears five years. In other words, they were similar to re- that many of the asylum seekers surveyed were cent migrants already living in Europe. wealthier than those who stayed at home and did not migrate—a finding that is perhaps not surpris- A large share of asylum seekers in Italy, about 62 ing considering that for Sub-Saharan Africans the percent, had work experience. Among those who average cost of the journey was about three years had held a job, most had worked in basic occupa- of income for a person living in extreme poverty. tions, like construction and agriculture, before ar- riving in Italy and nearly 70 percent did some work However, not all moved directly from their country in transit. Many West Africans worked without pay of origin to the EU. Some had previously settled during the journey. Among those in Greece, work in third countries, such as Libya and Iran, before experience was minimal, partly because of gender embarking on a second migration journey. For ex- gaps in employment: the population of asylum ample, one in five asylum seekers in Italy was one seekers there is more balanced between men and of these “secondary movers.” Of those, 43 percent women, and about 70 percent of the women from were Sub-Saharan Africans who had been living in the Syrian Arab Republic, Iraq, and Afghanistan Libya and departed when Libya itself erupted in had no work experience. Overall, younger asylum conflict. For many Sub-Saharan Africans, the con- seekers (18–25) are less likely to have ever had a flict likely turned Libya from a destination into a job, possibly because they have only recently en- transit country. Among those in Greece, about one tered the labor market. in four were secondary movers, mostly Afghans who had been living in Iran (of whom about a third Anxiety and depression can affect the ability of had been born there) and Syrians who had been asylum seekers to exploit their abilities. Instanc- living in Turkey. es of mental distress were widespread, possibly caused by a combination of stresses back home, Asylum seekers in Greece and Italy had on average during their journey, and in waiting for a decision low levels of education—only 32 percent of those in in asylum centers. About 70 percent of the asylum Italy and 29 percent in Greece had completed sec- seekers in Greece and almost 50 percent of those ondary school or above. In most cases, this reflects in Italy showed elevated levels of severe mental the education levels in their countries of origin. distress. Many asylum seekers speak a European language, Insights into Policy usually English; 80 percent of those in Italy and 45 percent in Greece speak at least one. Many While a comprehensive policy agenda on migra- Sub-Saharan Africans, of course, come from coun- tion and forced displacement is beyond the scope tries where English, French, or Portuguese are of- of this report, the evidence presented here—based ficial languages. The literacy test, administered in on a large representative sample of adult asylum official languages by country of origin, found that seekers in Italy and Greece in 2017—can help in- in general asylum seekers have limited proficiency form policymaking: in the designated language. Not surprisingly, the better-educated did better in the literacy assess- • A response to the European influx of migrants ment. It is worth noting that the literacy profiles of needs to combine humanitarian with devel- asylum seekers do not differ from those of other opment approaches, particularly when there migrants who have settled in Europe for the past is a context of protracted conflict in countries Overview | 7 of origin. But the same can be said for those First, the response by Governments, civil society, not coming from conflict settings: despite the development partners, and other stakeholders financial, physical, and emotional difficulties will require reinforcement of the evidence base, of their journey, many still make the journey. so that the response can be adapted to chang- It is important to thoroughly understand and es in the situation and to support more effective tackle the vulnerabilities that had confronted interventions. The difficulties of collecting the in- people in their countries of origin or where formation needed to support policies that affect they had initially settled. This is critical in ef- transient and vulnerable populations are obvi- forts to find sustainable resolutions of migra- ous—among them resolving methodological and tion flows. In other words, whether or not they ethical considerations—and they apply in many come from countries in conflict, asylum seek- countries worldwide that have had to deal with ers tend to come from circumstances where, large migrant populations and forced displace- from their point of view, despite the costs and ment. Efforts to collect data and build evidence dangers of the journey to Europe, the oppor- need to be sustained, both by systematic collec- tunities to be attained were worth the risk. tion of administrative data and by survey work that also profiles host communities. • The design of interventions to help these peo- ple lead productive lives—either in Europe Second, additional data collection and analysis for the many who will be granted protection would be valuable for (1) comparing EU host com- or in their countries of origin for those who munity data with refugee, asylum seeker, or other will return—can be informed by findings on migrant data to analyze impacts on host commu- education and skills. Delivery of schooling or nities and attitudes toward migrants of all types; training and promotion of their engagement (2) profiling asylum seekers and refugees in other in the labor market as part of EU integration EU countries with special attention to vulnerable policies, for example, need to be adapted groups and on countries where earlier there were to their initial skills and, importantly, to the large influxes of migrants; (3) exploring how to capi- needs of the labor market that is expected to talize on current data collection efforts, particularly absorb them. administrative, to capture more timely policy-rele- vant information; and (4) evaluating the cost-effec- • The support that these asylum seekers need tiveness of policies as they are being considered goes beyond traditional interventions. The and after they are adopted, such as integration pol- anxiety and depression findings, which pro- icies, transit country measures to curb the flows, vide an important policy-relevant dimension, and roll-out of voluntary return packages. make it clear that the mental health of many in the groups studied is compromised. The asy- lum process can offer a unique opportunity for early identification and intervention; certainly, those in asylum centers could benefit directly from targeted psychological support. This report, then, contributes to knowledge of as- pects of migration and forced displacement, but much more has yet to be learned.