Human Rights and Wrongs

Chechens in Poland

In this article, the Prague Watchdog covers the situation of Chechens in Poland.

There are some interesting interviews and some telling words from a social worker at one of the centres outside of Warsaw:

'I make €260 a month, which is very little, but I won’t find another job here in Moszna. I’m very tired. We haven’t had any NGO or humanitarian representatives, lawyers or psychologists visit the centre for a year.'

The facilities are simply not available to support the asylum process in Poland. The refugees are just not a political priority.

The interviews pick up on the current trend for heading to Austria. There is a real problem because the Chechens apply for asylum at the point of entry to the EU; Poland. They soon learn about the rare occasions Chechens are actually granted asylum here and then hear stories about generous provisions in countries further west (Austria seems to be the current favourite). Many leave illegally.

A couple of Chechens in my English classes have already been sent back from Austria (the Dublin agreement means that if found in another country you are deported to the place asylum was applied for initially). They have nowhere to go and little hope for the future.

posted by Becca @ 8:56 am