Collecting words against discrimination. Giorgia.
Lyubimets
and Butmansti.
In
Bulgaria
most of the “Syria
free” refugee voices are
spending their first month behind
the bars
of these
two migrant detention centers. Despite
its
poor living conditions,
these two institutions keep being a common starting point in the
Refugee Status Determination Procedure. In Butmansti, the slow
processing of asylum applications, the
lack of freedom
and the overcrowded
spaces have triggered the
last hunger strike few
days ago.
The situation is further aggravated by the absence
of regulation
regarding the limit of time refugees can be under detention in these
centers, and by the fact that, according to the last declaration of
the Interior Minister, more than 10 000 Syrian refugees are expected
to be here by the end of the year. Bulgaria is living a refugee
crisis.
The
country is
facing a lack
of resources
that not only affects these pseudo-prisons, but also the Registration
and Reception Centers of Banya and Sofía (RRC) -two camps where some
of the asylum seekers are sent once they have asked for protection-.
In a nation
where the refugees have never been a priority for the government, and
where the number of people seeking for asylum is increasing twice
or even three times a day
as
a result of the Syrian war, the asylum
right is in serious danger.
Giorgia in Banya RRC |
This
interview shows the daily life of the refugees and asylum seekers in
Sofia RRC from
the point of view of an EVS Italian volunteer.
Her name is Giorgia
and she came
to Bulgaria after being working for the United Nations Agency for
Refugees in New York. The project she is participating
in
is
called “A
warm welcome”,
and
is
implemented in the Integration Center of Sofia RRC by Cooperation for
Voluntary Service (CVS) and Caritas. Georgia is a foreigner between
foreigners willing to be
an active part in
the improvement of the refugees´ situation in Bulgaria.
How
many RRC do exist in Bulgaria and who is leaving there?
In
the RRC are living asylum seekers – all the people who have applied
for the refugee status-. There are two different RRC in Bulgaria, one
in Sofia and another one in Banya. The differences
between both are huge. In Banya they don't have any
association working with them, nor Integration Centre. It means, for
instance, that if you are in Sofia you will receive English and
Bulgarian language classes and therefore, if you get the refugee
status you will have more opportunities to be integrated in the labor
market than asylum seekers from Banya. Regarding the children, you
can also see the difference between both. Sofia's RRC children have
art classes, languages classes, we were playing a movie in the centre
once a week during one month... Banya children don't
have access to any of these activities. That's why I decided
to organize ten days workshop for children in Banya next week, in
order to make them participate in different workshops and games.
Workshop in Banya RRC |
How
long can asylum seekers wait to get the status in these RRC?
It
depends on the case. For example, yesterday I met in RRC Sofia a
family from Afghanistan who have been waiting for the status for one
year. There is no limit of time, there are families that get the
status in two, three months, other families in eight months and
others in one year...But what is sure is that when they
get the status they have only fifteen days to
leave the centre and find a house...And this time is not
enough. From my point of view it's completely necessary to reinforce
the housing and employment support which refugees receive
after getting the status.
Can
they work during this time?
Asylum
seekers have the right to work if for reasons beyond their control
the procedure is not finished within one year of applying for the
refugee status. This is according to the law, but actually they are
working during the application procedure. I also think they don't
know the law, the conditions. They don't even know the
difference between asylum seekers and refugees. In most of the
cases I have to explain them.
How
are the living conditions in RRC?
Children in the Banya RRC |
They
are living in four or six beds' room. The families
always are staying together. They have a cooker, a bathroom, a
wardrobe and that's all. They can go out of the centre freely but
they should come back before ten o clock, and they receive 65
levas per person per month. Even though the accommodation is
paid, this amount of money is not enough taking into account they
have to buy food, pay for transportation...Some NGO'S are given them
some food once a week, but anyways, is still not enough.
Do
they receive any education in order to facilitate their future job
integration?
The
Integration Centre is in charge of it, and CVS and Caritas are
supporting them. Since my point of view, the CVS project I am
participating in is great. It's carried out by local
volunteers who go to the Integration centre twice a week to
teach refugees Bulgarian and English, apart from organizing other
different workshops. I think our work it's really important because
gaining a good command in Bulgarian and in English is
something essential for the integration of the refugees in the
Bulgarian society. Apart from this, the Integration Centre offers
some other courses in hairdressing, cosmetics and tailoring, but they
are just available for refugees, not for asylum seekers because there
are not enough places for all of them.
Refugees
and asylum seekers' travel stories. How is their entrance in
Bulgaria?
They
are usually caught
in the border and they
are sent either to Lyubimets or Butmansti
migrant
detention centre or to the jail
if they don't have documents. Later on, they are sent to Sofia or
Banya RRC.
How
do they come in general? Are the victims of human smuggling, are they
coming with false documents...?
Both.
I can tell you some stories about it. For example, in Sofia
Integration Centre there is a family from Syria. They came to
Bulgaria running away from the war with the final purpose of reaching
Germany. By selling all their family jewellery, they got
the money to pay for false documents in which it was written
they were from Germany. They travelled to Sofia by bus and they were
caught by the Bulgarian police border. Firstly they were sent
to Lyubimets, where they spent 4 months, secondly to Sofia RRC and
now, finally, they have the status. The case of this family is really
common. Bulgaria is not the final desired destination
for most of the refugees, however, they are applying for
asylum here because according to Dublin Regulation there is a must to
apply for asylum in the first country you reach.
Not
accompanied minors. How is the reality of them? Are they going to the
school?
This
is the target group of my project so I know some of them and I just
can say that they are great! The majority of them I know, are from
Afghanistan. They came by bus here to find a job in
order to send money to their families. It's mandatory for them
to have a tutor, who is organizing his money. At the beginning I
couldn't say they were unaccompanied minors because they are living
like the others, the same way. And about their education, they are
going to the school when they have the status.
Which
future do you see for refugees in Bulgaria?
As
I told you, several of them don't want to stay in Bulgaria so they
don't want a future here. They want to go to Northern, Western
Europe, because most of them have relatives in these countries. I
think they don't want to stay in Bulgaria because they have a lot of
difficulties to find a job, and if they find it,
it uses to be in not qualified positions, like in call centres etc.
But in my opinion this low rate of employment among refugees is also
connected with the economic crisis in which we are immersed.
And
not with discrimination?
Of
course with discrimination also. One of the reasons of
why they don't like Bulgaria it's because they feel discriminated
against. They are always telling me that one of biggest
problem they find here is that people don't like them. It doesn't
happen to everybody but I would say that this is a general feeling
between this community.
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