During visits in the SCTAFs the NPM established several cases where minors were added to the
orders imposing administrative coercive actions to adults under the Foreigners in the Republic
of Bulgaria Act without the two parties knowing each other or having any family relation. In this
way children are considered formally accompanied and the prohibition to place minors in
closed-type facilities is formally complied.2 However, these are in fact unaccompanied minors
who have to be identified as such and immediately be granted the help and support available
for this particularly vulnerable group.
During the inspections the centre administrations shared another problem with the NPM team:
insufficient transport facilities.
During the interviews foreigners mostly complained of the difficult communication with staff in
the centres, poor living conditions, having nothing to do during the day, poor medical service and
slow registration and processing of asylum applications.
ACCOMMODATION AND REGISTRATION OF ASYLUM SEEKERS IN CENTRES
OPERATED BY THE STATE AGENCY FOR REFUGEES WITH THE COUNCIL OF
MINISTERS
During the NPM visits the centres were almost full: 70 persons accommodated in the
registration and reception centre in Banya (capacity 70); 263 in the transit centre in Pastrogor
(capacity 300); 1800 in Harmanli registration and reception centre (capacity 2710); 324 in
Vrazhdebna registration and reception centre (capacity 400); 750 in Voenna rampa registration
and reception centre (capacity 800); and 729 in Sofia registration and reception centre (capacity
860).
The inspection found that the living conditions in all centres operated by SAR, safe for
Vrazhdebna registration and reception centre, had deteriorated significantly. The construction of
additional facilities in the registration and reception centre in Banya that started in 2014 is
completed but due to the poor quality of construction the houses remain unused. Leaks and
mould in the main building and kitchen of the registration and reception centre in Banya and
the transit centre in Pastrogor require urgent refurbishment. There is mould in the bedrooms in
the newly built one-floor houses in the registration and reception centre in Harmanli – these
need to be refurbished as well.
The SAR acted on a former recommendation of the NPM and repaired the broken plumming
and leakage in the registration and reception centre in Harmanli, which is positive. A new
canteen and kitchen equipped with modern appliances were built in the centre.
Another significant problem that the NPM established concerns the food provided to asylum
seekers. After reviewing the weekly menus, the NPM found that the diet was undiversified
(which applies for other registration and reception centres such as Banya, Sofia and
Vrazhdebna, too and especially Voenna rampa). The inspecting team was satisfied with quality
of the food served in the registration and reception centre in Harmanli and the transit centre in
Pastrogor.
Medical service in the centres operated by the SAR was a special focus of the performed
inspections. The NPM established deficits in the provided medical service. There are medical
2
Article 44, para 9 of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act.
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