- Title: Dutch under pressure to rectify conditions at asylum seeker centre
- Date: 26th August 2022
- Summary: TER APEL, NETHERLANDS (AUGUST 26, 2022) (REUTERS) ASYLUM SEEKERS UNDER A MAKESHIFT TENT OUTSIDE REFUGEE SHELTER MEN LYING IN GRASS YEMENI REFUGEE, ABDULLAH ESSAM AL-SADDAM, 20 SEATED ON GROUND WITH OTHER ASYLUM SEEKER PEOPLE WAITING OUTSIDE MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (MSF) TRUCK (SOUNDBITE) (English) MSF EMERGENCY COORDINATOR AT THE SHELTER, MONIQUE NAGELKERKE, SAYING: "The asylum-seekers here live in dismal, primitive circumstances where they have some roofing over their heads but nothing else. They're sleeping on the floor. We've had a hot summer. It's going to get cold and wetter so we can clearly see that we're going to get more problems and living conditions (outside the shelter) are absolutely dismal. In an average refugee camp, they would be in a tent. They don't even have a tent." ASYLUM SEEKERS SEATED UNDER MAKESHIFT TENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) MSF EMERGENCY COORDINATOR AT THE SHELTER, MONIQUE NAGELKERKE, SAYING: "There are no showers and that's absolutely horrific because these people have been on the road literally for a long time and have no way to go and shower themselves, wash themselves. There's no water, no running water in that sense, no soap, and we see a lot of skin problems at the clinic at the moment." MSF WORKERS WITH MIGRANTS PEOPLE SEATING OUTSIDE SHELTER PEOPLE UNDER MAKESHIFT TENT VARIOUS OF MAKESHIFT TENTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) YEMENI REFUGEE, MOTAZ MOHAMMED, 25, SAYING: "People here sleep outside as you see. Every day, (the number of) people (waiting outside the shelter becomes) be bigger and bigger. The number is getting huge but no one go inside. (For) some of them, their (refugee application) procedure is stopped. They (cannot) go inside or go (to) other camps. We are stuck. We don't know where to go." MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN OUTSIDE SHELTER PEOPLE SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) YEMENI REFUGEE, ABDULLAH ESSAM AL-SADDAM, 20, SAYING: "Every single minute I go to them (the shelter's staff) but they say: 'You have to wait' so I have to wait. No solution." PEOPLE SEATED AROUND MSF VAN
- Embargoed: 9th September 2022 20:23
- Keywords: Asylum Seeker Doctors Without Borders Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte EU European Union Groningen MSF Medecins sans Frontieres Netherlands Tel Apel Violation baby death living condition makeshift shelter migrant newcomer reception centre refugee
- Location: TER APEL, NETHERLANDS
- City: TER APEL, NETHERLANDS
- Country: Netherlands
- Topics: Europe,Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001094126082022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Pressure increased on the Dutch government on Friday (August 26) to tackle what refugee advocates have called "inhumane" conditions at its main shelter for asylum seekers as humanitarian group Medecins sans Frontieres sent in a team to assist with medical needs.
It was the first time that MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders and mostly active in poor developing nations, was working in the Netherlands, a wealthy European Union state, the MSF emergency coordinator at the shelter said.
"The asylum-seekers here live in dismal, primitive circumstances," Monique Nagelkerke said, referring in part to more than 700 asylum seekers who have been sleeping rough outside the reception centre in Ter Apel in recent weeks.
The Dutch Council for Refugees has said conditions at the Tel Apel centre in the northeastern province of Groningen are "inhumane" and violate European Union law.
"We are stuck, we don't know where to go," said Mohammed, 25, who came from Yemen and has been sleeping outside the centre for 11 days, through both a heatwave and thunderstorms.
"Every single minute I go to them (the shelter's staff) but they say: 'You have to wait' so I have to wait. No solution," said Essam Al-saddam, who arrived four days earlier.
Dutch broadcaster RTL Nieuws reported earlier on Friday that the government planned to rectify conditions by increasing the centre's capacity and ordering regional authorities to take in more refugees, citing a leaked plan.
That followed the death of a three-month-old baby at the Ter Apel shelter this week, which drew international concern.
The baby died of unknown causes in a sports gymnasium being used as a makeshift shelter for newcomers at the shelter with nowhere else to sleep, according to Leon Veldt, spokesman for the Dutch Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers.
A lawsuit by the refugee council, due to be heard on Sept. 15, demands improved conditions at the reception centre by Oct. 1, including access to clean water, showers, privacy, adequate food and healthcare.
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