Psychological examinations within asylum procedures Since June 2006 almost 300 asylum seekers were examined in the MAPP project. Of this selected group, in 75% of the cases mental health problems have been diagnosed, which surely or most likely interfere with the applicant’s ability to render a coherent and consistent account. These numbers show that in this selected group of vulnerable asylum seekers – well over one percent of the total amount of asylum requests in that period – the mental health problems are serious enough to take into account when interviewing and deciding on an asylum request. In most cases the psychological assessment resulted in these asylum seekers being sent to the “regular” asylum procedure, where there is more time for interview and decision-making. In 2008, after a strong lobby of MAPP, the Dutch Council for Legal Aid, supported by the members of the Care Full initiative The Care Full initiative The Care Full initiative, launched in 2006, aims to improve refugee status determination procedures for victims of torture and ill-treatment by encouraging authorities to take better account of the psychological, socio-cultural and physical factors that inhibit asylum seekers from presenting a coherent and complete history of their experiences. The initiative stresses the need for a full examination, conducted in accordance with guidelines set out in the Istanbul Protocol. It argues that any medical or psychological conditions must be given proper weight within the process of refugee status determination. In 2006 the Care Full Initiative published Care Full: Medico-legal reports and the Istanbul Protocol in asylum procedures, which included chap- ters on the physical after-effects of torture and illtreatment; psychological and psychiatric factors affecting the ability of asylum seekers to speak about their experiences during the asylum procedure; an assessment of the use of medical reports in the asylum procedures in ten European countries; the use of medical reports at the European Court on Human Rights and by the Committee Against Torture (CAT); and the use and impact of the Istanbul Protocol in asylum procedures. In early 2007 the initiative published a set of Principles and Recommendations – distributed to NGOs in Europe and endorsed by 35 organisations – to bring to the attention of politicians and policy makers, both nationally and internationally, the need for medical and psychological examination in the asylum procedure. The documents on Care Full can be found at: http://www.pharos.nl/supernavigatie/english/383 Organisations are welcome to sign up to the Care Full Principles and Recommendations. Please contact Erick Vloeberghs at e.vloeberghs@pharos.nl. 37