Report on conditions and practices

At the Kofinou Reception Center in Cyprus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julia Kalimeri

General Coordinator of Apanemi, Women’s Information and Support Center

apanemi@cytanet.com.cy

 

 

 

 

 

Research assistants:

Chrystalla Maouri, Soula Louka, Haris Kaite, Aristos Papachristofi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The views in the report are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of UNHCR. The designations, charts and maps used do not imply the expression of any opinion or recognition on part of UNHCR concerning the legal status or practices of agencies or/and the practices at the Kofinou Center.

 

 

The report was prepared by Apanemi under a project agreement with UNHCR for 2005. The initial terms of the agreement of UNHCR were to conduct an assessment (and to issue a report subsequently) on the situation at the Kofinou Reception Center, from a gender perspective. At the coordination meeting, held on 9 March 2005, it was decided by all participants to broaden (pro bono) the scope of the report, in order to present an exhaustive situation of the Center. The present Report is to serve as the basis for the beginning of the consultation process on the reception conditions at the center, to be initiated at the coordination meeting to take place on 17 May 2005.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Apanemi, Women’s Information and Support Center.

P.O.Box 27452, 1645 Nicosia

Tel: +357 22751761, +357 25817306

Fax: +357 22346236, +357 25817307

apanemi@cytanet.com.cy

 

 

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

Page No
  1.  

Research Aims and Methodology

       4
  1.  

Methodological caveats and limitation of the research

6

 

 

PART A – quantitative data

 
  1.  

Legislative framework

7
  1.  

Center’s general description

8
  1.  

Organization Chart - Description of the structures and cooperating agencies running the Center

12
  1.  

Statistics in Kofinou Center 2005

14
  1.  

17th April 2005 Questionnaire Data

15
  1.  

Services Provided

16

 

 

PART B – qualitative data

 
  1.  

Observations through visits/ appointments at the Kofinou center

17
  1.  

Observations through the interviews and questionnaires with Kofinou residents

20
  1.  

Interviews/ communication with authorities

22
  1.  

Further findings from Kofinou Staff’ Questionnaires

24

 

 

PART C - recommendations

 
  1.  

General Conclusions

25
  1.  

Recommendations

27

 

 

APPENDICES

 

I

Overall statistic data for A/s in Cyprus in 2005

28

II

Questionnaires to workers and relevant agencies

29

III

Questionnaires to residents

30

IV

MDM Cyprus report

31

V

Further statistic findings from residents questionnaires

33

VI

Photographs  taken from the Reception Center

34

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abbreviations:

KRC : Kofinou Reception Center

A/S: Asylum Seekers

MDM : Doctors of the World

 

 

 

 

 

Aims and methodology

 

The report aims to present the conditions and practices at the Kofinou Reception Center (hereinafter, “the KRC”), after the completion of its first year of operation.

 

The areas covered by the research are:

  1. Freedom of movement
  2. Security
  3. Health care 
  4. Employment
  5. Social welfare
  6. Education
  7. Documentation
  8. Information and counseling
  9. Vulnerable persons

 

The areas covered by the research stem from the rights provided for in the Cyprus Refugee Law 2000 – 2004 (hereinafter “the Refugee Law”) and the minimum standards for the reception conditions of asylum-seekers in the European Union, as safeguarded in the Council Directive 2003/9/EC of 27/1/2003, laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum-seekers (hereinafter the reception Condition’s Directive). The Council of Europe Recommendation No. 1261(1995) on the situation of immigrant women in Europe was also taken into consideration.

 

 

Duration of research: February – May 2005 (28 visits to KRC)

 

 

The findings were collected through personal interviews and /or questionnaires with the residents and personnel of the KRC, as well as communications and correspondence with the relevant authorities.

 

Ø      Meetings were held with

o       the Director of Social Welfare Services; and

o       the designated Labor Officer at the Larnaca District Labor Officer.

 

Ø      Interviews were conducted with

o       four (out of five) KRC staff members;

o       the designated administrative officer of the Asylum Service; and

o       the Police Officer-in-Charge of the Kofinou Police Station.

 

Ø      The Residents’ Questionnaires (Appendix II) were completed by 19 residents out of 36 present on that particular visit (17th April 2005). The participation was voluntary and the purpose of the research was clearly explained to the participants, ensuring confidentiality and anonymity. The interviews were conducted in Arabic, French, English and Greek with the assistance of 3 interpreters.

 

Ø      32 persons were interviewed and counseled by Apanemi staff members, under a project with UNHCR to provide psycho-social support to female residents of the KRC and their families. The Apanemi team consists of a social advisor, a psychologist, a volunteer lawyer and a counselor (psychological support).  

 

Ø      The report of the Doctors of the World’ report (Appendix IV) is a valuable contribution to this research. The MDM visited the KRC following a relevant request by Apanemi and offered first-degree examinations and medical care to all residents at KRC and drafted a needs based assessment/report. 

 

Ø      A KRC organization chart was drawn up using information collected from all relevant sources, as it was not possible to acquire an official one.

 

 

The data are analyzed in two parts:

 

 

PART A – Quantitative data

  1. Legal framework
  2. KRC General description 
  3. KRC Organization Chart - Structure and co-operating agencies
  4. KRC Statistical data, January – May 2005
  5. KRC Statistical data, visit of 17 April 2004 (completion of questionnaires)
  6. Provided Services

 

PART B – Qualitative data

  1. Observations through visits at the KRC
  2. Interviews with residents and questionnaires
  3. Interviews with KRC Staff
  4. KRC personnel Questionnaires
  5. Meetings and communications with authorities

 

 

The Conclusions and Recommendations are presented in

 

PART C: -

  1. Conclusions
  2. Recommendations

 

 

APPENDICES

I     Overall asylum statistics for Cyprus (January – March 2005)

II    Questionnaire to KRC personnel

III   Questionnaire to KRC residents (women specific when applicable)

IV   MDM Cyprus Report

V   Further statistical findings from KRC residents questionnaires

 

 

 

 

 

Methodological Caveats and Limitations of the research

 

Difficulties were encountered with the collection of data.

 

A common observation is that some interviewees had partial or fragmented information regarding asylum matters. Governmental agencies were very much restricted to the picture of their own competency, even in cases of practices, which apparently contradicted one another.

 

The duration of the research was short (28 visits between February – April 2005); Apanemi was also handling individual requests for social and psychological support during this same period. For the purpose of such researches / reports, observations and interviews need to be repeated, in order to triangulate the data. 

 

There is lack of comprehensive data concerning residents at Kofinou (religion, education, individual social histories). All relevant information had to be collected and triangulated.

 

Several inquiries to the authorities have not been officially answered yet, presenting another gap in the access to concrete information, which is compartmentalized and in times frustrating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART A

 

 

The legislative framework

 

Cyprus is a signatory to the 1951 Geneva Convention and the 1967 New York Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees.

 

Cyprus adopted its national Refugee Law in January 2000, which has since then been amended several times. Currently, the Refugee Law of 2000 – (amend. No. 2) of 2004 is in force.

 

As a Member State to the European Union, Cyprus is obliged to bring into force laws, regulations and administrative provisions to comply with the Council Directive 2003/9/EC of 27/1/2003, laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum-seekers, by 6 February 2005.

 

The KRC operates as a state accommodation centre for the collective housing of asylum seekers since January 2004. No regulations have been adopted so far to govern its operations and procedures (Section 32 (2) (b) of the Refugee Law). The Asylum Service, competent for the co-ordination and supervision of the administration and functioning of refugee reception centers (Section 27 (1) (d) of the Refugee Law) is issuing ad-hoc administrative instructions to the KRC personnel and relevant bodies responsible for the administration of the Centre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KRC general description 

 

The KRC is situated 5 kilometers away from the Kofinou village, just 300 meters from the Central Abattoir.  It is at equal distance, of some 45 KM, from the three main cities of Cyprus (Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia). The KRC is built in an isolated area, amongst boondocks and range.  The roads leading to the KRC, after getting off the highway, are secondary narrow roads with no electricity. The KRC area is fenced, with barbwire added to the top of the fence. It has an iron gate, which closes after 22:00hrs.

 

The KRC consists of 15 pre-fabricated buildings, which are used in the following manner: 1 as an office, 1 as a storehouse, 2 as kitchen/laundry (1 remains locked), 2 as communal / dinning rooms, 1 as sanitary block for women and 1 as sanitary block for men. The remaining seven are designed to host some 120 persons, with an actual capacity of 80 persons. The KRC is equipped with 4 refrigerators, 4 washing machines and 2 air-condition units per building. Each sanitary block is equipped with 4 toilets and 6 showers.

 

All pre-fabricated buildings are placed next to each other, with some 1 meter distance between them, in two rows. Single men are accommodated together, and families have to share buildings. There are no separate doors to the family buildings and the two-three rooms are separated by some improvised curtains (bed sheets). The sanitary blocks are placed at the far end of each row of buildings, some 40 meters from the last accommodation blocks. There’s a distance of 10 meters between the two rows. There’s a door with a lock on each sanitary block. The toilets’ doors may lock from the inside; there are only shower curtains to separate the showers.    

 

SKE, the Kofinou Community Welfare Council is responsible for the management of the centre. There is a 24 hours presence of the management. In total, 5 administrative workers (3 female / 2 male) work in 3, 8-hour, shifts, 7 days a week. None of them has a social science background, with only two having a higher education degree. In addition, 2 cleaning women work in shifts 7 days a week. The Asylum Service provides SKE with a relevant budget for the KRC operation, including the payments of salaries. The KRC personnel refer to and are supervised by the Asylum Service. 

 

Admission to the KRC is voluntary. It was designed to provide temporary, emergency accommodation for 3-4 weeks to destitute, newly arrived, asylum-seekers, pending the issuance of the necessary documentation and the completion of the necessary procedures, which would enable them to find employment or receive social welfare benefits. Admission is only possible with a relevant referral letter, issued and signed by the Asylum Service. No referral process is in place after official office hours (7:30 – 14:30) or during holidays and week-ends.

 

The KRC hosts multi-ethnic adults and children both male and female. One separated 17 year-old boy appears to be currently hosted at KRC, with such incidents of referrals noted also in 2004. Many of the residents fall into categories of vulnerable persons (single mothers, single women, disabled men/women, pregnant women, and as the findings will present, victims of torture or violence). During the period this research was conducted, the KRC reached its maximum capacity (82 persons).

 

There is freedom of movement but residents are requested to sign in / out in an attendance book. There is no bus stop near the KRC; residents are advised to wait for the bus at an unspecified point on the road, 2 km away from the KRC. The regular buses covering the Limassol – Nicosia route (approx. every 1,5 – 2 hours from 06:00 to approx. 17:30) need to be called and alerted by the KRC personnel in order to [divert from the highway and] make such a stop. There is only one bus to Larnaca, every morning, which returns in the evening.  Only certified official appointments to relevant authorities are covered with a free bus ticket and, thus, no tickets are provided over the weekends. For residents to whom the relevant identity documentation has not been issued, as KRC personnel explained, there is an instruction issued by the Asylum Service, according to which such residents should not travel.

 

Three meals a day are being catered for and delivered by a local restaurant to the Centre (breakfast, lunch and dinner). The restaurant is also responsible to purchase and distribute baby powder-milk and tea. The cleaners are responsible for serving the meals and cleaning after each meal has been served. Residents may prepare their own (additional) meals at the kitchen facilities; however, no additional food items are provided for that purposes and residents shall provide for such items from their own resources.

 

Non-food items necessary for the functioning of the KRC are since the beginning of 2005 provided from the Government Central Warehouse. These include items of personal hygiene, such as shampoos, toothpaste and toothbrushes and diapers. Unavailability of such items was reported by both KRC residents and personnel on a number of occasions. The KRC personnel tried to cover such needs from their own personal funds. There's currently lack of diapers at the KRC and mothers are given diapers for adults, which were available at the KRC, to use for even new-born children. The KRC personnel are still authorized to purchase from the budget some necessary items, such as sanitary towels.

 

KRC residents do not have access to a welfare allowance whilst in the KRC. This aggravates the problem of acquiring some goods for personal needs, such as telephone cards or cash for transportation for reasons other than official appointments with the authorities and during week-ends, which forces the residents to acquire part-time jobs without contracts.

 

KRC residents register with the Larnaca District Labor Office as unemployed and KRC personnel is in communication with this office for possible vacancies. The KRC personnel claimed that they recently received instructions from the Asylum Service that it is illegal for KRC residents to work. KRC Residents are unofficially working in part time jobs in the area without contracts, with the administration turning a blind eye. 

 

There are no social workers or psychologists present at the KRC. No regular visits or monitoring are undertaken by the Social Welfare Services. The latter declared inability to extend social support to the residents, due to shortage of staff. The Social Welfare Department reiterated in a number of meetings on the KRC that the Ministry of Interior needs to employ a full-time social worker to be stationed at the KRC and ability only to handle very urgent cases of KRC residents through the Larnaca District Welfare Office. There’s ad-hoc cooperation for those KRC residents leaving temporarily the Center for health reasons and admitted in one of the district hospitals – this is outside the framework of the welfare benefit procedure and usually carried out by the district Welfare officer with cooperation of several volunteers’ organization (like the Support towards Hospital Patients Fund).

 

There is no medical practitioner stationed or regularly visiting the KRC for medical check-ups. Physical Health services are provided either at the Kofinou Medical Centre or the Larnaca or Nicosia General Hospitals.  The medical centre in Kofinou, some 3 kilometres away from the KRC, is not fully equipped and does not have a regular presence of a medical doctor. KRC residents depend on the KRC personnel on shift to drive them in their private cars and on their own expense to either the medical centre or the nearest hospital. Emergency cases are accommodated by the Larnaca General Hospital (40KM approx) and sent with the local ambulance.  Only since March 2005 there are visits of the area Health Visitor, for purposes of children’s vaccination.

 

There is no provision for Mental Health Services or monitoring on their mental and psychological conditions.  Social and Psychological Support to vulnerable groups is regularly extended since February through an NGO (Apanemi, Women’s Information and Support Center) through a program funded by UNHCR. Through this cooperation the MDM were also invited to provide a 1st degree health examination (d.d. 17.4.2005). The MDM Cyprus referred to the Kofinou Health Visitor for addressing further identified medical needs of the KRC residents. The MDM needs-based assessment is included in Appendix IV.

 

Children may attend the local public schools in Kofinou village and at the neighboring village of Lefkara. There is a community nursery school and an elementary school in Kofinou and a high school in Lefkara. While there is a school bus to the Lefkara high school, no such facility is provided for the nursery and elementary school. No child currently attends nursery school, although some are of such age.  4 children (3 male / 1 female) between 8 – 13 years old, attend the elementary school, and commute to school by one private taxi. The school operates on an “all-day” basis, and classes finish at 16:00hrs. The caterer provides these children’s lunch at the school. No child currently attends high school.

 

There are no interpreters on the KRC personnel. Most of the residents are Arabic/Kurdish/Farsi speakers, with French mostly being the common language spoken amongst them and with no or poor command of the English language. With the KRC personnel having a working knowledge of only English as a second language communication is sometimes frustrating. One of the cleaners, who is also an asylum-seeker, is sometimes used for French translation. There is no access to information/counseling on the refugee status determination procedure or legal advice for the KRC residents, apart from information given by NGOs in Nicosia or Limassol (40 KM approx). There is not a leaflet display arrangement at the Center.

 

There are no organized recreational activities at the KRC. The two communal buildings are equipped with a TV, broadcasting the local channels. There are no books, newspapers or periodicals. There are no trees or shade in the KRC, with the area covered with tarmac and concrete blocks (for the placing of new pre-fabricated buildings). There are two slides for the children on the left of the KRC upon entering; the slides are placed on and surrounded by solid concrete. Some toys donated for the children and are placed in the individual family houses. 

 

There are no plans for lessons or vocational training for the residents. In the last 2 months Greek/English classes, were provided by NGO volunteers once a week every weekend. There are no integration activities, mutual activities, programs or projects with the local population.

 

 

(Appendix VI, page 34)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organization Chart

 - Description of the structure and cooperating agencies running the center

 

 

In the absence of an official organization chart or brochure of the center, relevant data was collected through interviews with the Asylum Service and KRC personnel. There are some reservations regarding the accuracy of information as far as the linkage between relevant authorities/agencies with the operation of the KRC is concerned. 

 

The KRC personnel were recruited and are employed by the SKE, in the presence of the Asylum Service. While the personnel refers and is supervised by the Asylum Service, the SKE refers to the Larnaca District Welfare Office. The KRC personnel if need advice on social welfar matters they may contact direct the Welfare District Office in Larnaca.  6 workers, 1 cleaner and 1 technitian constitute the Kofinou Reception Centre Staff.  Their contracts of employment are renewed annually.

 

Admission may only occur with a referral from the Asylum Service. The duration of stay is not defined in any regulations or instructions whatsoever; the KRC was designed for emergency accommodation up to one month yet, many residents are staying the last 10 months there.

 

Prior to their referral, KRC residents need to submit an asylum application at a given police station / Immigration Police District Office. The Migration Department is responsible for the issuance of the Residence Permits (pink slips) and Aliens Registration Cards (ARC), while the Asylum Service is responsible for the issuance of the confirmation letters. Refugee Status Determination is conducted at the Asylum Service, after KRC residents receive a relevant invitation posted to the KRC. Relevant identification / residence documents are also posted to the KRC.

 

There is no defined referral to other authorities system and issues are addressed with an ad-hoc management on the rising need between the Asylum Service, the KRC personnel and relevant agencies.

 

A day-to-day reporting system is kept at the Centre. The KRC Personnel maintain a daily logbook, in which they record main events and outside visitors. A resident book of attendance is kept, which KRC residents sign every time they leave or enter the KRC. In the record keeping and dealing with the individuals there are variables ignored such religion, and education. A gender and age component was recently added to the list of residents, with country or origin and family groups not indicated.

 

The Asylum Service selects all service providers related to catering and the operational needs to relevant agencies. The expendables are provided by the Government Central Warehouse and the maintenance of equipment (air-conditions, showers etc) is maintained by the “Electromichaniki” Authority.

 

The Kofinou Police Station may attend to rising matters following a KRC personnel phone call. 

 

There are referrals to Larnaca General Hospital or other hospitals for medical care and/or for issuance of medical cards.

 

There are no interpreters present or working in Kofinou. The KRC personnel speak Greek and English, one officer also speaks considerably good Russian and another worker is now studying Turkish. The cleaner is used sometimes for French interpretation.

 

There is no social history in-taking procedure; hence, there’s lack of an identification [and response] process of cases victims of abuse or violence (even after attended by the Kofinou Police).