IRCT REGIONAL REPORT 2016 The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless People (OFPRA), has struggled to cope with the numbers of asylum seekers, which has resulted in vulnerable groups such as torture victims being forgotten. Medical examinations do take place at the reception or housing centres, however, only one third of asylum seekers have access to those reception centres. Furthermore, the examination takes place on average eight months after the submission of the asylum claim and it is only a physical examination with the objective of detecting communicable diseases such as tuberculosis. The biggest challenge in France is currently the housing of asylum seekers. In 2014, the government housed less than 40 percent of those who were entitled in regular reception centres. Many asylum seekers are housed in hotels through emergency schemes but there is also a worrying number of asylum seekers who end up homeless as local authorities and NGOs are unable to pay their hotel fees. Homeless asylum seekers have to rely on civil society or relatives for shelter. This has an extremely negative impact on asylum seekers in general and in particular persons with torture trauma whose mental health may seriously deteriorate. Among the torture victims it supports, Parcours d’Exil has a number of homeless clients who are all at various stages of the asylum process, including those who have had their claims rejected. “Homeless torture victims find it particularly difficult to meaningfully engage in the rehabilitation process due to their extremely precarious situation. Although the French government aims to increase the number of asylum seekers housed in regular reception facilities to 55 percent by 2017, we are concerned that even this figure might not be achieved. ” — Jerome Boillat The absence of an early identification procedure is at the root of many of the problems experienced by torture victims seeking asylum in France. Early identification could ensure that victims are provided with adequate housing and located in regions and cities where they can access rehabilitation services. However, there are still no specific assessment procedures or mechanisms that authorities can use to identify vulnerable applicants, aside from girls and women who have experienced female genital mutilation. “In our view the French authorities do not ensure that torture victims receive the necessary treatment for the damage caused by torture in accordance with Article 25(1) of the Reception Conditions Directive.” — Jerome Boillat The treatment torture victims receive once they have been identified depends on the region in France and the quality of treatment NGOs are able to provide. In general, torture victims tend to have access to better treatment if they are in or near Paris and Lyon where there are more services. Even though asylum seekers do have access to the public healthcare system, the French authorities do not provide specialised care for torture victims. Appropriate medical or psychological treatment care does exist for torture victims insofar as they have access to an NGO such as Parcours d’Exil that provides such services. Rehabilitation for torture victims also depends heavily on the capacity of the centres providing the services. Due to the increase in applications, long waiting lists are a significant challenge for clinicians at Parcours d’Exil. Some clients have to wait up to eight months before they are able to see a therapist, but staff have now developed an effective emergency service for clients with acute needs. For instance, Parcours d’Exil recently had a case of a severely depressed asylum seeker who was able to receive treatment a few days after his arrival in France. The clinicians decided that it was crucial to intervene immediately because of the poor state of his condition, which included suicidal ideation. page 18