Adriana Stehouwer

The Netherlands:mass influx and small communities

Facts and figures

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Facts and figures

• Mass influx in oktober: more than 15.000 applications 60% from Syria and 15% from Eritrea

• 14.000 refugees with a status living in a centre waiting for a place to live

• Emergency shelter: every 3 days asylum seekers have to move to another village

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Facts and figures

Opposition in local communities

In a small village of 300 inhabitants

a semi permanent shelter for 1000 asylumseekers is established

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Monitoring Emergency Shelters

Inspectorate Security and Justice:

For the moment a safe shelter

Not suitable for a longer stay (than 3 days)

The registration and identification process

takes much time, effect will be: waiting longer for a permit to stay (up to six months)

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HR of migrants and refugees

• During shelter and administrative process

Basic needs are the same

• After six months refugees get a status and the migrants have to leave

All are entitled to good governance.

Promptness: authorities should seek to complete processes within a reasonably short time

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Why not accept that refugees are going to stay?

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Dutch National ombudsman

Informal visits to emergency shelter

First complaints from CSO about bad conditions in emergency shelter

Contact with immigration service (IND) on behalf of refugees who left their family behind in Syria or refugee camp

Handling complaints of inhabitants of villages about problems with centres for asylum seekers

Monitoring and complainthandling

Develop standards for basic conditions in emergency shelters (ECHR, Reception Directive 2013/33/EU)

Basic human needs

Basic human rights

And WiFi

Raising awareness and empower asylumseekers by complainthandling

Using an App

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The Dutch Red Cross:

Approximately 90% of the large group of refugees on their way through Europe have a smartphone. For many, this phone will be their help and support when travelling and when they come to the country of arrival, temporarily or not. And also to keep in touch with family members elsewhere, for instance through Facebook and Whatsapp.

With the Refugee Buddy App that will be launched by the end of November 2015, the Netherlands Red Cross wants to connect to the current information requirements of this group of people. Driven by the belief that in the 21st century, information is a basic human need.

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Lets work together!

Despite our different challenges:•We can join in a cooperation of monitoring•And empower asylum seekers by providing an app on their mobile phones on HR and Ombudsman/NHRI