“There’s a lot of information about refugees online, such as displacement data, etc. But there is not a lot of information for refugees, information they could benefit from and use,” says Amir Shiva, global project manager at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Amir and his team have spent the past few years working on a digital platform that houses essential legal resources, which refugees can access freely, safely, and reliably. This platform is now known as KOBLI.
KOBLI: a digital pathway to legal aid
Publishing our expertise online
NRC’s information, counselling, and legal assistance (ICLA) teams have an abundance of knowledge about the laws and regulations of whichever context they operate in. They liaise with authorities, legal partners, and continuously research legalities concerning people who have been forced to flee. The challenge that existed, however, was the limited reach of that invaluable knowledge. And thus, KOBLI was envisaged.
“The idea was that with the use of digital tools, we could remove barriers stopping refugees from accessing this information,” continues Amir.
KOBLI was launched in Lebanon in 2023. The platform includes a suite of digital tools that ICLA staff members can use to reach refugees and provide them with crucial legal assistance. These tools include up-to-date webpages, messaging apps, and an active social media presence.
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Publishing our expertise online
NRC’s information, counselling, and legal assistance (ICLA) teams have an abundance of knowledge about the laws and regulations of whichever context they operate in. They liaise with authorities, legal partners, and continuously research legalities concerning people who have been forced to flee. The challenge that existed, however, was the limited reach of that invaluable knowledge. And thus, KOBLI was envisaged.
“The idea was that with the use of digital tools, we could remove barriers stopping refugees from accessing this information,” continues Amir.
KOBLI was launched in Lebanon in 2023. The platform includes a suite of digital tools that ICLA staff members can use to reach refugees and provide them with crucial legal assistance. These tools include up-to-date webpages, messaging apps, and an active social media presence.
While ICLA programme teams can log in to the platform and add content in multiple formats (FAQs, a step-by-step guide path, etc.), refugees can scroll through webpages that inform them about various legal scenarios, interact with a chat-bot, and track their progress through several self-help tools.
“We’ve reached about 100,000 users in 2023,” says Amir. “The programme team were impressed with how KOBLI has become a new way for them to connect with refugees. They have engaged over 200 people monthly.”
The Lebanon pilot was a success, and KOBLI was soon established in Jordan, Ukraine, Iraq, and Egypt. By 2025, KOBLI is set to launch in Moldova, Palestine, and Syria.
Why is KOBLI necessary? A recurring scenario
“I think the project’s greatest accomplishment has been placing this knowledge in a public forum,” says Amir. “It becomes especially indispensable to have this reliable source in contexts where misinformation and rumours abound.”
Picture the following fictional but realistic and repeated scenario. Lana flees from Syria in search of safety and finds refuge in Beirut, Lebanon. She has just had a baby and is unaware that she needs to register her child. A year elapses, and suddenly, Lana finds that she cannot secure her child necessary vaccinations or access essential healthcare services. In a panic, Lana attempts to acquire her child’s birth certificate. Now, however, instead of obtaining the certificate for free, Lana must go through a lengthy and expensive court process.
Our legal aid teams have seen this scenario unfold time and again. Refugees seeking safety away from home are vulnerable to misinformation and need time to navigate new legal systems in their country of refuge. This can put them at risk of exploitation as they seek solutions for themselves and their families.
“They may receive wrong information about the process they need to follow, fees they must unnecessarily pay, and sometimes pay more for an intermediary to help them understand the process,” explains Amir.
Reaching humanitarian organisations to obtain legal aid can prove a difficult journey as well. Some refugees are wary of crossing checkpoints because they lack important documentation, while others don’t have the financial means to fund the trip.
Moreover, our teams do their best to cover as much ground as possible, but group information sessions only inform 20-40 people at a time.
KOBLI combats misinformation and massively increases reach by providing easily accessible, accurate information to people affected by displacement. It also offers them a platform they can log on without needing to embark on long journeys or face additional risks.
With KOBLI, Lana can click on the webpage dedicated to birth registration, learn about the process step-by-step, and even contact a legal aid team member who can advise and counsel her further.
Overcoming limitations and challenges
While KOBLI remains an exceptional tool to reach people in numerous displacement contexts, the shift to digital comes with its own set of challenges.
Primarily, not everyone who has been affected by displacement carries a device, such as a computer or a smartphone, that allows them internet access, and not all possess a minimum level of tech literacy. This is where the importance of maintaining a face-to-face aspect of legal aid emerges.
KOBLI can take on the bulk of the work and address less complex legal issues, while dedicated ICLA teams can put more time and resources into helping the most vulnerable and tackling complex issues.
“It’s not only about KOBLI,” concludes Amir. “It’s about creating an entire digital ecosystem that enables refugees to access legal aid online.
KOBLI in the future
The vision and goal for KOBLI is a platform that has three components. In addition to the suite of toolsthat contain relevant information about legal scenarios, KOBLI will also have:
- A portal that allows users to log in, securely store their legal documents, and track their case journey.
- A portal that ICLA case workers and managers can use to set up user journeys on KOBLI, manage and track active cases, and identify any bottlenecks that may be blocking cases from progressing.
“It’s not only about KOBLI,” concludes Amir. “It’s about creating an entire digital ecosystem that enables refugees to access legal aid online.