Monitoring the security conditions and occurrence of instances of sexual based violence or gender related violence in the reception centres for refugees (SGBV) 2010-2011

Within the project “Give them a chance!”, co-financed from European Refugee Fund and from state  budget, the Halina Nieć Legal Aid Centre conducts – simultaneously to carrying out visits in order to provide legal aid in the centres for refugees – monitoring which concentrates on security issues and on occurrence of violence and sexual violence. Monitoring also includes obtaining adequate statistical data from the Border Guard and the Office for Foreigners.

Monitoring visits are run regularly in 8 reception centres for persons applying for the refugee status: Dębak, Linin, Zakroczym-Smoszewo, Grupa near Grudziądz, Łuków, Niemce, Bezwola and Bytom by the HNLAC lawyers. From all visits separate reports are prepared, which will be the base for final report from monitoring.

Within the project “Give them a chance!”, a monitoring module combines with activities of Evaluation Group which examine the occurrence and threats concerning the sexual and gender based violence in the centres for foreigners applying for granting the refugee status, established on the basis of agreement on “The Standard Operating Procedures with regard to recognition, counteracting and responding to cases of sexual based violence or gender related violence against aliens staying in reception centres for asylum seekers”.

Monitoring the discrimination of third country citizens 2010

The Halina Nieć Legal Aid Centre within the project “Welcome to Poland!”, co-financed from European Union Fund for the benefit of Third Country Citizens and from state budget, monitors regularly the occurrence of instances of discrimination against third country citizens, including discrimination in access to public benefits (medical care, education) and discrimination at work.  Monitoring consists also in individual analysis of cases which are reported to the lawyers by foreigners, as well as in analysis of information obtained from, inter alia: Ombudsman, Ombudsman for Children, Office for Foreigners, Police, Board of Education  from voivodeships included in the program (primary and upper schools), Students Departments, Departments of International Relations (from universities in Poland) and from employees employing foreigners.

Instances identified by lawyers of the Centre as instances of discrimination are a subject of legal intervention adequate to the case. All identified instances of discrimination and Centre’s intervention are documented in detail and elaborated in the form of reports (without giving personal date of foreigners). Such information will be a base for final report summarizing monitoring the discrimination of third country citizens.

Access Management and Suport Program (AMAS) 2009

In 2009 the Halina Nieć Legal Aid Center continued actions within the framework of Access Management and Support Program (AMAS) realized in cooperation with UNHCR. The priority activities were monitoring of Guarded Centers and Eastern Polish border  as well as trainings on the RSD procedure for Border Guard officers.

The project goals were as follows:

The HNLAC’s employees regularly visited the following detention facilities: Guarded Centers in Przemyśl, Lesznowola, Kętrzyn, Białystok, Biała Podlaska, Krosno Odrzańskie and Deportation Arrests in Warsaw – Okęcie and Szczecin. They provided legal aid and information concerning filing applications for refugee status or other forms of protection in Poland and filing other applications or documents in the procedure. Simultaneously they monitored conditions in detention facilities and access to RSD procedures in Poland. Monitoring also included border crossings in Przemyśl – Medyka and Terespol.

Frequent visits in detention facilities and on the border allowed to gather comparative data of statistical character and to formulate substantive evaluations and remarks which resulted in publication of the HNLAC’s reports on vulnerable groups in refugee procedure and on Dublin II implementation.

The AMAS Program pays attention to priority role of Border Guard in refugee procedure. The course of the proceedings in later stages as well as the content of the final decision depend on  knowledge and competences of Border Guard officers. The HNLAC in cooperation with UNHCR organized therefore 3 trainings for 20 -25 officers on the RSD procedure in order to enhance their competences. These trainings were carried out in the Central Border Guards Training Center in Koszalin (6-9 July 2009 and 1-4 September 2009) and in the Border Guard Training Center in Kętrzyn (14-17 December 2009).

The trainings were entitled “Reinforcement of protection of refugees through better border management.” The subjects were as follows:

The HNLAC acknowledges further cooperation with Border Guard as priority matter. In 2010 a new monitoring initiative will be undertaken.