The living conditions of asylum seekers in crisis shelters are under serious pressure. This is evident from a new report from the National and Children’s Ombudsman. Due to the current living conditions, the people in the shelter have no control over their own lives. They are also in a hopeless situation.
In Drenthe there are emergency shelters in various places, such as Assen, Coevorden, Diever and Gieten. Asylum seekers are temporarily accommodated in these reception centres, which are made available by the government, while they await the result of their asylum application. After an investigation, the ombudsmen conclude that these asylum seekers sometimes wait longer than six months.
This hopelessness has major consequences for the children, says Children’s Ombudsman Margrite Kalverboer. “Children sometimes can’t or don’t want to eat anymore, because that’s their only way to keep control in this unsafe situation. The interests of the children don’t matter enough, while the impact on their lives is enormous.”
National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen believes that the term ‘crisis emergency shelter’ no longer covers the load. “We have to get rid of the word crisis, this is a new reality,” he says. By this, the ombudsman refers to asylum seekers who sometimes have to stay for months in emergency shelters. “In temporary situations you can sometimes shift what you find acceptable. But we are past the crisis and this is unacceptable. Immediate adjustments and structural solutions are needed.”
The problem is not new to Maja Zuiderveld from Emmen. She worked for many years at the azc in Emmen, where as location manager she was mainly concerned with the education of asylum children. She started her own business three years ago and trains teachers across the country to learn how to deal with asylum-seekers. She encounters the harrowing situations a lot.
“Due to the current policy, whereby asylum seekers sometimes have to wait six months for a decision on their asylum application, they end up in a hopeless situation where they do not get any perspective. They do not participate in education, do not make friends and are condemned to have to wait for days. They have the right to security, education and development. If they have no prospects for the future, do not feel safe and have little or no access to education, radicalization is imminent.”
The ombudsmen hope that the government will intervene and take the initiative. They hope for improvements for the asylum seekers by giving them decent accommodation with sufficient privacy and cooking facilities, education and meaningful daytime activities. They also believe that the government should put the interests of children more first, by talking to them and by professionally focusing on their development.