CCPR/C/121/D/2585/2015 managed to find a temporary room with a small kitchen which they paid for with money received from their family, given that they did not receive any financial support from the Bulgarian authorities. They were in contact with other refugees who told them that it was impossible to find a job. Both authors have health problems, but they did not receive any medical assistance in Bulgaria. 5.4 The authors reiterate that refugees in Bulgaria do not have access to housing, work or social benefits, including health care and education. They cite a report by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, according to which the system to support the integration of refugees and other beneficiaries of international protection still suffers from serious and worrisome deficiencies, mainly connected with the insufficient funding of the system. Consequently, refugees and other beneficiaries of international protection face serious integration challenges, which threaten their enjoyment of social and economic rights. They face a serious risk of becoming homeless and problems in accessing health-care services; they suffer high levels of unemployment; and they have no real access to education. They are also vulnerable to hate crimes. The report further indicates that, although persons granted refugee status are apparently given the possibility to stay in the reception centres when they have no means of sustaining themselves, they can only stay for six months. There are allegations of corruption by the staff of the reception centres, who are said to extort payment from the families for the right to stay. 38 The authors consider that these problems will persist for a long time. They also quote a report by Amnesty International according to which concerns persist over the reception conditions of asylum seekers, although the conditions in reception centres have partially improved, in particular with regard to food, shelter and access to health care and sanitary goods. 39 It is further stated in the report that the prevention and investigation of hate crimes have been inadequate.40 5.5 The authors further submit that the living conditions in Bulgaria for beneficiaries of international protection are worse for returned beneficiaries because they seem to be excluded from the reception facilities due to their initial stay and to the fact that they left the facilities. The authors therefore submit that they will not benefit from proper housing and adequate medical treatment. They and their children will be exposed to substandard living conditions, lack of social assistance from the authorities and no prospect of finding a durable humanitarian solution. They will end up living in deprived and marginalized conditions due to the “zero refugee integration policy” in Bulgaria. 5.6 With regard to the State party’s reference to the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in Samsam Mohammed Hussein and Others v. the Netherlands and Italy, the authors submit that the issue at stake is not that refugees in Bulgaria have significantly reduced material and social living conditions, but that the current living conditions there do not meet basic humanitarian standards, as required by UNHCR Executive Committee conclusion No. 58 (XL). They also indicate that, in view of their experience in Bulgaria, there is no basis for assuming that the Bulgarian authorities will prepare for their return in accordance with basic humanitarian standards. They reiterate that the decision of the European Court in Tarakhel v. Switzerland is applicable to their case, as the living conditions of beneficiaries of international protection in Bulgaria can be regarded as similar to the situation of asylum seekers in Italy, and that the premise outlined in the Samsam Mohammed Hussein case is no longer sufficient: individual guarantees, especially protecting returning children from destitution and harsh accommodation conditions, are now required by the European Court. The authors argue that the Court’s reasoning in Tarakhel regarding article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights can be regarded as corresponding to article 7 of the Covenant. 38 39 40 10 Report by Nils Muiznieks, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, following his visit to Bulgaria from 9 to 11 February 2015, pp. 28-29. Available from https://rm.coe.int/16806db7e2. Amnesty International, Report 2014/15: The State of the World’s Human Rights (London, 2015), p. 87. Available from www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/0001/2015/en/. Ibid., p. 88.