Lawyers Against Poverty is delighted that Oxfam in Greece, European Lawyers in Lesvos and the Greek Council for Refugees yesterday announced the release of a pamphlet on seeking asylum in Lesvos (entitled Seeking Asylum: Basic Legal Information for Applicants of International Protection).
It is available in ten different languages (Amharic, Arabic, English, Farsi, French, Greek, Kurmanji, Somali, Sorani and Urdu) and aims to improve access to information about the asylum process and the available legal services for asylum applicants in Lesvos.
Several surveys and assessments have indicated that there is currently a lack of information available to asylum seekers arriving in Greece about their rights and obligations and ways to access legal assistance. Limited access to information in a language in which it can be understood affects the ability of asylum seekers to make informed decisions, creates uncertainty, frustration, stress and confusion and is one of the causes of tension with the authorities.
With funding from Lawyers Against Poverty, Oxfam in Greece, ELIL and the GCR created a pamphlet to address this need. It was developed in consultation with the Legal Aid Working Group in Lesvos and contains information on all stages of the asylum process, including asylum registration and the asylum interview as well as appeals. It also includes a contact list of legal advisors.
It is being distributed in community centres and by NGOs in Lesvos and is made available to asylum seekers accessing their services. It is also being distributed in the Hospitality Centre for Refugees and Migrants Mavrovouni of the Municipality of Lesvos (hosting around 1,300 individuals) and in UNHCR accommodation for vulnerable adults and unaccompanied minors. Oxfam in Greece, ELIL and GCR hope that distribution in the Moria Reception and Identification Centre will soon be approved.
Please see below a copy of the pamphlet (in English):[pdf-embedder url=”https://lawyersagainstpoverty.org/wp-content/uploads/Pamphlet.pdf”]