If you live in a temporary reception centre, state how you find it

Published at: 13/09/2023, 00:00

Assessments have shown that many temporary reception centres do not comply with European rules. If you live in a temporary reception centre, you can share your experiences for further assessment by VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (VWN).

Temporary reception centres do not meet conditions

VWN

conducted assessments at 22 temporary reception centres and spoke with 92 residents. From those visits and conversations with the residents, it appears that the temporary reception centres often do not comply with

European rules

These are the main conditions the reception centre does not meet

There is no medical or psychological care at most locations. There are also too few or no clean showers or toilets at many locations.
At about half of the locations visited, residents had no privacy or quiet sleeping areas.
At some locations, residents receive too little food or the quality of the food is not good.
There are often no activities at the temporary reception centres that residents can participate in. Such as language lessons or sports.

These poor conditions cause long-term stress, as indicated by the majority of residents. Security guards and location managers also treat residents poorly at times, said 35 percent of residents spoken to.

Complete this questionnaire if you live in a temporary reception centre

VWN continues to assess temporary reception centres. You can also share your experiences here. The questionnaire does not ask for your name or personal information. Your answers remain anonymous. It takes about 10 minutes to complete the questionnaire.

More information

This is what VWN does with the information from the questionnaire

Completing the questionnaire allows VWN to further assess the temporary reception centres. This way VWN assesses which reception centres are complying with the conditions and which are not.

With the results, VWN wants to make sure, for example, that the people in charge of the reception centre are following the rules.

Here is what you can do if you are unhappy with the reception centre

On this page you can read about what you can do if you are dissatisfied with COA's reception centre. For example, you can talk to COA or the municipality, complain or protest.