In spring 2016, the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and UNICEF launched a national, multi-partner initiative to improve the protection, care and support of women and children living in refugee accommodation centres. As a result of their work, the members of the joint initiative published the first uniform nationwide “Minimum Standards for the Protection of Refugees and Migrants in Refugee Accommodation Centres” in Germany. The Standards have been revised several times and include three annexes to guide the implementation of the Standards for LGBTIQ* refugees and migrants, refugees and migrants with disabilities and those suffering from post-traumatic disorders.
The Minimum Standards are intended to serve as guidelines for the development, implementation and monitoring of protection concepts in refugee accommodation centres. Areas covered by the Minimum Standards include individual protection concept for accommodation centres; personnel and human resource management; internal structures and external cooperation; the prevention and dealing of violent and dangerous situations / risk management; humane, protective and supportive environment; and the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the protection concept.
In 2020, the minimum standards were revised and updated in a multi-stage process with the participation of the partner organisations, representatives from state ministries, state and municipal authorities as well as violence prevention coordinators and multipliers.