Celine is a 33-year old mother of three who graduated high-school in her native Congo, and is a skilled seamstress. She is waiting for a decision on her asylum application, which she made in Cyprus in 2009.
Celine has been waiting for 8 years for a decision on her asylum application. All she hopes for is to reunify her
Last week we launched a series of stories looking into the lives of asylum-seekers and exploring their everyday realities. These stories try to answer questions like, What is it like to be an asylum-seeker in Cyprus? How do these people live?
The first nine months they are not allowed to work and thereafter many can’t work, either because they cannot find a job or cannot work in the very limited sectors of the economy they are allowed by law to work, such as farms, animal husbandry, garbage collection and the like. Others have serious health conditions preventing them from being able to work. Is the social assistance they receive from the State adequate to ensure a dignified living for the health and subsistence of these individuals and their families? Who are these people and what do they dream of for the future?
At the end of 2016, there were 3,088 asylum-seekers in Cyprus awaiting for a decision on their applications for international protection. Of these, 307 were accommodated at the Kofinou Reception Centre. Another 112 unaccompanied and separated asylum-seeking children are hosted in special reception centres in Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol. All remaining asylum applicants (2,699) live independently in the community. Some are employed, while others – very few – receive social assistance from the State, but not under the national Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) scheme.
According to data from the Welfare Office, only about 20 percent of asylum-seekers living outside reception centres presently receive State social assistance. For asylum applicants, social assistance is instead provided mostly in-kind, through vouchers, and only a small amount of cash to be used for utilities and other expenses. While GMI for a single person is €760 per month for rental allowance and other expenses, an asylum-seeker only receives €320 per month for rental allowance and other expenses. The GMI allowance is an additional EUR144 per dependent, while for asylum-seekers this amount is EUR25 and caps at 4 dependents, regardless of the total number of children. In general, the social assistance offered to asylum-seekers is significantly below the risk-of-poverty threshold, which in 2015 stood at €690 per person per month, according to the Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in its last report on Cyprus, published on Friday 12 May, raised its concerns on the situation of asylum-seekers in Cyprus and made corresponding recommendations. In particular, the Committee recommended among others that Cyprus ensures equal employment opportunities for asylum-seekers including by permitting employment in a wider range of sectors, and provide asylum seekers with access to social assistance programmes, taking into account individual circumstances; and ensure the same social assistance benefits to asylum seekers as to citizens, without discrimination.
You can read the full report on Cyprus here (paragraphs 20-21 are relevant for the situation of asylum-seekers in Cyprus)
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Today we continue with the second story in this series: Celine*, a single mother and seamstress Celine is a 33-year old mother of three who graduated high-school in her native Congo, and is a skilled seamstress. Having fled for her life from her politically volatile homeland, a country with a recent history of civil war and human rights abuses, she is currently living in Nicosia with her two-year-old son and two other mothers and their children. Celine is waiting for a decision on her asylum application, which she made in Cyprus in 2009. Her other children are abroad, in the care of family members, since she cannot support them herself.
Celine has been waiting for a decision on her asylum application for eight years. She is completely dependent on social assistance to survive month to month, while the prolonged asylum procedure also prolongs her anxiety over an unknown future that she cannot plan, for her, or for her children. “If I could have a sewing machine, and be allowed to work, I would be so happy,” she says. “I would like to reunite my three children, and work and support my family.”
Her son was born prematurely and needed special care for months after the birth. “He still has sensitive lungs and we can’t go out in the cold; I have to be extra careful about his health,” says Celine. While she longs for a sewing machine in order to keep her occupied, she spends most of her time at home. The coupons are insufficient, says Celine. “I can’t buy the basic things I need for my son. From the EUR95 I receive in cash each month, EUR80 goes to supplement our rent and pay utility costs, since the EUR100 rental allowance is not enough. And then there is nothing left. Even with the child supplement, I can’t buy much, and we rely just on donations, and those only when they are available.” Her son’s condition requires that she regularly visits the doctor, but this may not always be possible, as she is required to pay 3-6 Euros at each visit, an amount she usually cannot afford.
Getting around is another difficulty, with walking being the only affordable means for Celine and her son, as there is not enough cash for even an occasional bus trip, and the coupons do not extend to the public transport system. For Celine, visiting the social welfare office just to enquire about her coupons, for example when there are delays, means walking with her son from the centre of the city to Kaimakli, and back again.
The prolonged stress caused by Celine’s years of waiting is negatively impacting her health; Celine takes blood pressure tablets daily, and struggles with depression. Her consolation is the company of her housemates and of course her dreams: “I dream of my son growing up to be a doctor one day,” says Celine. “A doctor for premature babies, just like he was.”
*name changed for protection reasons
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