Access Management and Suport Program (AMAS) 2010

In 2010 the Halina Nieć Legal Aid Center will continue actions within the framework of Access Management and Support Program (AMAS) realized in cooperation with UNHCR. The main objective will be the monitoring of Guarded Centers and Eastern Polish border as well as trainings on the RSD procedure for Border Guard officers.

The Halina Nieć Legal Aid Center’s two-person team, consisting of monitoring assistant and information assistant will be regularly visiting Guarded Centers in Przemyśl and Lesznowola, where the largest percentage of detained asylum seekers are placed, in order to monitor the access to the refugee status procedure as well as to provide asylum seekers with general information on their legal situation and possibility to act on legal grounds. Detained lack comprehensive information on their rights as well as on the modalities of seeking asylum and procedural aspects of the RSD. HNLAC’s team will distribute information materials (leaflets) on the RSD procedure and on asylum seekers rights and obligations in Russian and English.

The same information will be distributed on the Eastern Polish border (Przemyśl–Medyka and Terespol). The HNLAC’s team will be regularly visiting border crossings in Przemyśl-Medyka (border crossing with Ukraine) and Terespol (border crossing with Belarus), both very significant in relation with access to refugee status procedure as the majority of asylum seekers enter Poland through them. Many asylum seekers face difficulties in accessing the territory of Poland and accessing RSD procedure. That is why the HNLAC intends to improve this access through monitoring and information campaign and briefings.

Actions which will be undertaken by the HNLAC have also for purpose securing the full implementation of the non-refoulement principle as risk of breaches of non-refoulement in Poland still exists. This risks concerns cases of denying entry into the territory to Poland to persons who are planning to seek asylum or a risk of deportation of rejected asylum seekers who may have valid grounds for asylum protection but whose cases were not dealt with properly.

According to the HNLAC’s standpoint, systematic monitoring visits in the Guarded Centers and on the Border, including monitoring of individual cases of asylum seekers, supported by monitoring reports, will reduce above mentioned weaknesses of the system which have a negative impact on accessibility to the refugee status procedure.

According to the Halina Nieć Legal Aid Center’s standpoint, Border Guard officers play a priority role in the refugee status procedure. The situation of asylum seekers depends on their knowledge and competences. That is why the HNLAC in cooperation with UNHCR will organize 3 trainings for 20 -25 Border Guard officers on the RSD procedure in order to enhance their competences. The trainings will be organized either in the Central  Border Guard Training Center in Koszalin or in the Border Guard Training Center in Kętrzyn.

The main subjects will be the following:

• the standards of treatment of asylum seekers;
• vulnerable groups treatment standards (unaccompanied minors as well as foreigners whose psychophysical state allows presuming that they have been victims of violence and foreigners with disabilities);
• non-refoulement principle;
• trauma and SGVB;
• cultural differences and work with asylum seekers from varied regions and social groups.

„Give them a chance! – Increasing chances of integration for asylum seekers through legal aid, counteracting violence and information campaign”

On 1 December 2009 the Halina Nieć Legal Aid Center has launched realization of a Project „Give them a chance! – Increasing chances of integration for asylum seekers through legal aid, counteracting violence and information campaign”, co-financed from European Fund for Refugees and State Budget. The tasks are concentrated on integration of asylum seekers in Poland. Integration is a multidimensional process which is dependent, on the one hand, on attitude and activity of asylum seekers themselves, on the other, on their admission in receiving society by public organs as well as by private subjects including the whole society. At the same time, effective integration is dependent on social, economical, cultural and legal factors. The Halina Nieć Legal Aid Center acts on behalf of refugees incessantly, from the very beginning of its existence, in this way accomplishing its statutory mission. As an organization of legal profile, the HNLAC has concentrated so far above all on providing legal aid. In this Project comprehensive activities completing hitherto offer were planned. Taking the view that complexity of the attitude increases the scope of the Project’s influence on beneficiaries and affects maximization of the results, the Project also envisages information campaign promoting integration, monitoring of security and violence in the centers for refugees, cooperation with the Office for Foreigners, Police and UNHCR in respect to implementing standards of identification and reaction to cases of violence, including sexual violence and connected with the subject trainings for social employees in refugee centers. The Project covers the following basic groups of activities:

A. Reinforcement of protection and improvement of integration of beneficiaries through improvement of accessibility to legal guidance and legal information in refugee centers (reception centers) and beyond them – legal aid will be provided individually in 8 centers in Poland, which were chosen with a view to peripheral position and/or the lack of accessibility to free of charge legal aid, in the HNLAC’s office, by phone, by post, by fax and on-line.

B. Information campaign concerning increase of acceptance of refugees directed to Polish society – “Give them a chance!” – the campaign will consist in posters, broad campaign on the Internet, including www.youtube.pl and Internet banners. The goal is building a positive image of refugees, promotion of tolerance and integration of refugees in  Poland.

C. Conducting work of Evaluation Group examining occurrence and dangers related to sexual and gender violence in refugee centers – coordinating activities and exchange of information between the Office for Foreigners, Police, UNHCR, La Strada Foundation and the HNLAC will facilitate system changes towards improvement of security and therefore facilitation of integration of refugee seekers.

D. Monitoring of security conditions and occurrence of violence and sexual violence in the centers for refugees – the monitoring survey will provide objective data on actual security conditions and will help to develop effective mechanisms of activity.

E. Increase of knowledge of social employees in refugee centers concerning phenomenon of violence, sexual violence and gender violence – trainings for social employees from 8 chosen refugee centers will provide them with substantive support in counteracting violence and better identification of its victims among asylum seekers.

In conformity with multidimensional character of integration, the HNLAC’s Project envisages activities consisting in direct individual legal aid for refugee seekers – staying in reception centers and beyond them as well as activities concerning these persons indirectly, such as monitoring of security conditions and occurrence of violence and sexual violence, works of Evaluation Group and information campaign having the increase of social acceptance and support for reception and integration of refugees for purpose. In this way the Project covers all subjects which the integration is dependent on: refugee seekers themselves, State organs (Office for Foreigners, Police), society, in this context this Project has a pioneer character and is marked by innovativeness of applied methods of activity.