Research into abuses at asylum shelter Purmerend: ‘Discrimination, threats and corruption’ | Inland

In a letter to the city council, the municipal council of Purmerend writes that the information that came in via questions from the newspaper can have ‘a major impact’ on ‘society, the hired staff, the own municipal organization and your council’.

The Noord-Hollands Dagblad writes on its website that it has spoken with dozens of residents and (former) employees. They reportedly reported on ‘numerous problems, including discrimination, abuse of power and threats’.

In Purmerend, refugees sleep in a tent camp on an industrial estate north of the city. It is a so-called crisis emergency shelter, where refugees stay for a short period of time. 225 people sleep there. Problems such as leaks and a lack of hot water have been reported from the start. There would also be ‘wet beds without blankets’, according to the Noord-Hollands Dagblad.

In the letter to the council, Mayor Ellen van Selm writes that there will be an independent investigation, ‘to find out whether there is more behind (the problems, ed.) than start-up problems you were informed about earlier’. The mayor writes in the letter that the problems in Purmerend arise from an earlier reception location in Assendelft. That is why the Zaanstreek-Waterland Safety Region is also involved in the study, to which both Assendelft and Purmerend belong.

The municipality of Purmerend could not be reached tonight for an explanation, and neither was the security region. As far as is known, the reception location will remain open.

Watch our videos about the problems among asylum seekers in the Netherlands: