On 20 June, World Refugee Day, the IMK (Interior Minister Conference) met in Potsdam to discuss issues such as refugees and migration. The interior ministers of all federal states decide on the lives and future of the many refugee, children and young people in Germany.
Parallel to the Interior minister’s conference, Jungendlich ohne Grenzen e.V. (JoG), who are organised since 2005, organised a counter-conference with young refugees. This is an action they do every year and takes part in a different federal state, orientating to the IMK conference.
The JoG event is normally marked with a press conference, workshops, demo and a gala where a prize is presented to special initiatives of their choice and a negative additional vote for the politicians.
In 2024 the Initiative Award was presented to Women in Exile and Barnimer Bürger*innen Asyl for their engagement in refugees’ work.
Women in Exile was founded in Brandenburg in 2002 by refugee women to fight for their rights, making it one of the oldest self-organised groups of refugees in Germany.
Barnimer Bürger*innen Asyl: Barnimer Bürger*innen Asyl supports people who are directly
threatened with deportation, for example with housing and thus prevents deportations.
The “Deportation Minister of the Year” prize was awarded to the Interior Minister who has
attracted attention in the previous year with a particularly ruthless deportation policy.
This award went to Iris Spranger (SPD). Spranger was honoured with the negative award because Berlin deported significantly more people last year than in previous years.
