The increasing number of refugees serves as a kind of barometer of the shaky political situation in the world. The Netherlands is a quiet haven in the heart of Western Europe, where seekers of a better life from all over the world strive to reach.
In this article, we will talk about the stages of the procedure, as a result of which novice refugees (or asielzoekers, as the local population 'affectionately' calls them) either go back home or begin to build their new nests in the Netherlands.
The first step for a refugee in the Netherlands is registration at a reception center 'aanmeldcentrum', of which there are only two in the country (addresses can be found at any police station for foreign affairs or immediately upon arrival at Schiphol Airport). After registration, the refugee at a preliminary interview must explain how they got to the Netherlands, present identity documents (see 'By the way') and briefly outline the essence of their problem. If the procedure is accepted for further consideration, then after a few days the refugee is sent to a camp OC (Opvang-en Onderzoekcentrum), where asielzoekers receive temporary shelter.
Let's take a short tour of the OC camp located in the city of Dordrecht. In the Dutch press, this camp is called 'Floating Hotel for Uninvited Guests'. The fact is that the camp is located on the ship 'Bibby Stockholm', moored in the port of Dordrecht. In 230 cabins, 600 camp inhabitants are housed, representing 32 nationalities. Most of them are Iraqis, Kurds, Yugoslavs, and Africans. When you go inside, the strongest impression on you will be made by an unpleasant smell. This stench, consisting of who knows what, fills the entire OC for refugees: the smell is the same everywhere. The camp area is built up with temporary buildings, which house a medical center, police offices, and the immigration service. It is here that refugees are given a subsequent detailed interview, during which, with the help of an interpreter, the newly-minted asielzoeker tells a representative of the Ministry of Justice about the reasons for fleeing their homeland.
One of the buildings is a recreation club, where there are table tennis tables and light music plays. Numerous visitors crowd at the bar counter. At the back of the hall, a large group of people plays cards with enthusiasm. Every Saturday, the camp administration allows the inhabitants to hold discos. Sometimes they even invite ensembles and a puppet theater. The football field located outside the camp grounds is at the disposal of the residents.
The canteen in the camp resembles a student cafeteria. Visitors with trays walk along the serving line, where they are offered an evening meal to choose from. The cooks have to take into account the tastes of their multinational guests. For example, pork is not eaten by everyone, but chicken or fish is no problem. So the cooks cannot allow themselves flights of culinary fantasy and limit themselves to a couple of standard and neutral dishes.
About breakfast and an afternoon snack, the camp inhabitants must take care of themselves. Every week, 62 guilders (approximately $25) are given out per person, on which asielzoekers buy food and clothing.
The free movement of camp inhabitants is not restricted in any way: if you want, go to the city or travel around the country. The only condition is a daily check-in at the camp police station. However, during a 'transfer' (asielzoeker jargon, and in plain language – moving to a subsequent AZC camp), you only need to check in once a week.
The rooms are depressing: government-issue furniture, metal shower basins that rattle at every touch, cabinets, and plastic chairs. Often the beds are bunk beds. By the way, the mattresses and pillows here are plastic and very uncomfortable. The ideal option is considered when a family is given a separate room. Each room is equipped with a TV connected to a satellite antenna. In some (still far from all) camps, there is Russian television. As a rule, the camps have shared toilets and showers. Due to the uncleanliness and lack of culture of some camp residents, it is always dirty there: clogged sinks and shower cubicles, slippery floors, not to mention the toilets.
The camp health service provides only necessary medical care. Many refugees need psychological help. Psychoses and nervous breakdowns are common here and occur more often than cases of tonsillitis or flu. This is understandable – for nothing torments the soul like waiting and uncertainty. The only thing that the camp residents are sure of is that for the time being, they are not being thrown out of the Netherlands.
Quarrels are rare, though I have witnessed several fights when crowds of angry men rushed at each other with fists and knives. According to a camp employee in Dordrecht, Mr. Eric Heinze, the camp administration tries to house refugees by race. For example, Africans with Africans, Europeans with Europeans.
If the procedure goes more or less promisingly, after a few months the asielzoeker is transferred to an AZC refugee camp (Asielzoekerscentrum), where they can wait for the completion of their procedure. The conditions here are slightly better than in the initial camp. In the AZC, residents prepare their own food and receive 86 guilders per person per week (for children under 12 – 16 guilders, under 18 – 25 guilders). Many start learning Dutch there. Officially, refugees are not allowed to work, except for a symbolic fee (about a guilder per hour) or temporarily in the agricultural or hotel sectors.
In total, there are 16 OC primary camps and 103 AZC long-term refugee camps in the Netherlands. Some refugees are housed in so-called AVO (Aanvullende Opvang) – small rented hotels and tourist camps, of which there are about 120. And those who are really lucky get individual temporary apartments called COW (Centrale Opvang Woningen), of which there are more than four thousand in the Netherlands.
The refugee admission procedure takes a very long time – sometimes waiting periods reach five to six years.
Russian speech can be heard quite often in the camps. There are many Armenians forced to leave due to the terrible economic collapse of once prosperous Armenia. Belarusians are increasingly seen, having slipped away from the rampant autocracy and lawlessness of 'Batka'. Azerbaijanis, Georgians, Chechens, Ukrainians, Jews, and Russians who have fallen out of favor with their governments are seeking asylum in the Netherlands, hoping to escape oppression and violence.
Perhaps you will think: 'This will never happen to me.' Well, let us hope that this information will never be useful to you. But as they say, never say never.
BY THE WAY
Upon 'surrender' of refugees at the registration center (aanmeldcentrum), they undergo a thorough search procedure. The State Secretary of Justice, Mr. Cohen, aims to reduce the number of refugees arriving at the center without documents. Some refugees hide their passports with which they arrived in the Netherlands in hopes of easing their procedure and avoiding immediate deportation. The Dutch parliament is ready to take decisive measures to reduce the number of refugees who are unable to prove their identity. According to rough estimates, more than 70% of asylum seekers do not present any documents.
Irina MAKAVEI,
'Holland in Russian'.