UN report highlights asylum seekers’ struggle in Cyprus
ASYLUM SEEKERS in Cyprus are forced to wait up to four months for financial assistance even though they are not allowed to work in the meantime, a report issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said yesterday.
The UNHCR said the 1951 Refugee Convention provides that refugees are entitled to the same rights as nationals with respect to public relief and assistance.
“Cyprus refugee legislation after transposing the EU Reception Conditions Directive provides that asylum seekers have the right to public allowance if they don’t have sufficient means to ensure a standard of living adequate for their health and subsistence,” said the report.
This means if an asylum seeker is working, no public allowance will be granted.
“In practice however, asylum seekers are allowed to work exclusively in the sectors of agriculture and animal production; yet, they are not referred to these sectors and as a result, public allowance is the only means available to ensure a dignified life for them,” the UNHCR said.
There are over 10,000 asylum seekers in Cyprus but according to the UNHCR, only 400 actually receive state benefits. According a the survey carried out among 100 of the asylum seekers who do receive benefits they endured long delays in processing of their applications, long delays in payment, delays in subsequent payments and discrepancies in the amounts they receive.
Outside of the survey, the UNHCR found that many people who applied at the Social Welfare for public assistance had given up because they were told to leave and to look for a job, even though the Labour Office could not provide them with one.
From those surveyed, the UNHCR found that the required home visit by welfare officials to an asylum seeker’s place of residence usually took between one and three months but over 12 per cent took longer.
After the home visit, it then took over four months in one fifth of cases to receive the allowance, and after that, delays in receiving it regularly.
“Several asylum seekers had not been receiving the allowance for three months and more,” said the report.
The UNHCR said it suggested intervening on their behalf, but only less than half of the asylum seekers agreed to give their names because they feared reprisals from government officers.
When it came to subsequent payments over 32 per cent said they had to visit the welfare office between three and five times before they got paid again, over 15 per cent had to visit between six and ten times, 8.5 per cent had to go between 11 and 20 times and ten per cent over 20 times.
“In a large majority of cases, delays or interruptions take place without any reason,” the UNHCR said.
The amount of payment also varied from one month to another with 72 per cent of asylum seekers saying what they received was not enough for basic needs.
Of the 100 people interviewed only one said the Welfare Department had helped them secure accommodation. Nearly half said they initially stayed with people they had met while over 22 per cent said they stayed in the streets or in parks, 17 per cent stayed at churches or mosques and 9.6 per cent stayed in hotels.
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