Comede (Committee for the health of exiles) was created in 1979 by Cimade, Amnesty International, and the Groupe Accueil Solidarité to promote the health of exiles in France.
The activities of the Health Centre, Health Rights Center, and Resource Center of Comede are inseparable to meet the objectives of the association. In 35 years, Comede has hosted more than 100,000 patients of 150 nationalities, refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied foreign minors, and other immigrants/foreigners in precarious living situations and insured specialist services for prevention and care, health checks, access to care, medico-legal expertise and training.
Comede works in partnership with professionals and associations of health, social workers, law and administration to meet the objectives of the association. In 2014, the Comede network consisted of 1,000 partners in Ile-de-France, 5,000 readers of Maux d’Exile and 50,000 users of Guide to offer medical, psychological and social support for migrants / foreigners in precarious situations, edited in partnership with the Directorate General for health and INPES.
Missions and Guidelines
(Extracts of the bylaws)
Article 2 – Goals :
The missions of Comede are in favor of the health of exiles and the defense of their rights. The association particularly aims to:
- insure care and medical; psychological, social and legal support when these are absent or inadequate and to act on their behalf;
- prioritize access to care, prevention, and rights;
- facilitate all that can allow them greater autonomy and better integration;
- contribute to the knowledge and the reflection of their medical, psychological, social and legal situation and to do everything we can to improve their situation;
- provide information and bear witness to their situation, within the limits de produire des informations et de porter témoignage sur cette situation, within the limits of confidentiality and the conditions explained below;
- de gérer tout établissement ou structure dont l'activité est en rapport avec les buts de l'association
- collaborate with all other organizations who share our mission.
Article 3 - Principles:
Comede fulfills its mission in a spirit of solidarity with exiles, without distinction of nationality, of origin, of opinion, of sex and of sexual orientation.
Article 4 - Guidelines:
The current guidelines define the ethics of the Association in regards to the people it helps, as well as the proposed methods of action.
All members in any capacity whatsoever, are bound by the Guidelines and must comply, in terms of their action of working on behalf of the Association.
- As part of the care activities, particular attention should be paid to the consequences of repression, torture, and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, gender-related violence and all forms of violence ;
- As part of the care activities, particular attention should be paid to the difficulties of exile and the integration process;
- In consideration of the issue of consultants as a whole, the members of Comede do not stigmatize a particular aspect;
- Comede will work closely with organizations that welcome exiles and defend human rights at national and international levels. It will also participate in the exchange of medical, psychological, social and legal information, within professional and ethical boundaries.
- Comede will benefit from its experience of health professionals and social sectors through meetings and publications.
- Comede will inform the public with the intent to promote the widest possible recognition of the problem of exile.