Ten days ago, the minister for foreign affairs Jean Asselborn announced that the refugee shelters are full. The National Reception Office ONA hasn’t taken in any newly arriving single male asylum seekers who entered the EU via another country. On RTL Kloartext last week, Asselborn defended the decision saying that he didn’t see any other solution. He wanted to protect women and children who are particularly vulnerable by providing THEM a secured place in the accommodations for asylum seekers. All those male asylum seekers who have entered Luxembourg in the past ten days got refused accommodation by the ONA and have been sleeping in the streets.
We had Catherine Warin from the Association Passerell in for an interview to talk about the situation. Passerell is a non-profit composed of lawyers who defend the rights of asylum seekers.
I got the chance to speak to three of them. They came from Sudan, they first arrived by boat at the Italian island of Lampedusa in September, then went on to France, slept in the streets there before now ending up in Luxembourg. Every week, more than 15.000 people arrive in Lampedusa by boat, the humanitarian crisis gets worse as the Italian and the European governments fail to support the island of merely 6.000 inhabitants. The local authorities are long overwhelmed and don’t manage to accommodate nor to register all those who arrive. Normally, Italy is legally responsible for accommodating the asylum seekers who’ve entered the EU first in Italy. That’s why Luxembourg’s foreign ministry says Luxembourg wasn’t obliged to give these people shelter. The association Passerell who defend the rights of asylum seekers protest saying that wasn’t true and holding Luxembourg accountable. They file a complaint at court. Belgium and France have adopted the same policy – but Luxembourg should be a role model rich as the country is – the associations say.
Further not all the men who enter their offices came via another country, they say. More than 25 asylum seekers now came seeking help with Passerell and the other charities. The three men I met in Passerell’s office, have been sleeping under the bridge Adolphe II for eight nights. Although the police pass several times every night to chase them away, they always go back. They have nowhere else to go. That’s what they tell me. None of them speaks English or French but we have an assistant translating.
One of them has the face of a child, max. 14 years old, I’d estimate. But he says he’s 20. Without any papers, there’s no way to prove that he is minor. Passerell has seen several under aged asylum seekers who now sleep in the streets. According to the ONA, only adults get refused accommodation. Those who are sick as well are taken care of. Everyone who registers with ONA gets vouchers to buy food, hygiene products and access to medical care. But for many there is no bed, no place to take a shower, no roof over the head during these cold, rainy days.
The shelters for asylum seekers in Luxembourg aren’t full because of increased numbers of arrivals. It is a consequence of the housing crisis. Refugees who got their paperwork done and are granted asylum usually should move out of the shelters. But entire families don’t find a flat in Luxembourg, and hence stay in the shelters longer than necessary.
Passerell and other charities and non-profits have been trying to help those who are now in the streets. They still collect donations, portable matrasses to roll up and tents are needed.
Photo: LFR