IRCT REGIONAL REPORT 2016 The facilities were overcrowded and housed those at all stages of the asylum process. Many people were unsure of how long they would remain in the centres and of what would happen from one day to the next. This uncertainty caused considerable anxiety among torture victims and was a real barrier to their rehabilitation process. Furthermore, the overcrowded nature of these facilities meant that there was a lack of privacy for individual asylum seekers. This is particularly worrying as people from all kinds of backgrounds, including unaccompanied minors, families with young children, single men and women are housed there. As governments across Europe began closing borders and restricting access to asylum in 2016, the Balkans route was effectively closed off, which stemmed the influx of refugees to Austria. As a result, the large-scale emergency and transit facilities in Styria were closed and asylum seekers were either moved on to other destinations in Europe or distributed throughout the regions of Austria. Asylum seekers are now housed in large apartment blocks or former hotel buildings, normally run by private firms, contracted by the Austrian authorities. Zebra clients still report many challenges related to the conditions in these overcrowded apartment blocks, including poor infrastructure (particularly in rural areas), lack of access to medical staff and lack of privacy. For instance, one client lives in a small room with his wife and three young children. Their door does not shut and they share a bathroom with other asylum seekers. The client is deeply concerned about the safety of his young children, particularly if they needed to use the bathroom late at night. It is important to note that the situation can vary from region to region and also between service providers. Housing provided by NGOs may be of a higher standard than that provided in motels. The location of housing also plays a large role in the ability of asylum seekers to integrate and their path to rehabilitation. If people live near a city, they generally have greater access to language classes, work, therapy sessions and medical treatment. Further amendments to the Austrian Aliens Law came into effect in June 2016, which imposes additional restrictions to benefits for refugees and asylum seekers and limits access to asylum. The waiting time for family reunification has been increased to three years for people with subsidiary protection, which is particularly disconcerting for torture victims whose families remain in war zones or in other perilous circumstances. Furthermore, the residence permit for refugee status has been reduced to three years, with the possibility of renewal pending review of the individual circumstances. This further adds to the uncertainty of many vulnerable persons. page 14 “We are very worried about the most recent set of amendments and fear that it could make a difficult situation even worse for traumatised asylum seekers.” — Paul Schwarzl