About ASsIST
Our Mission
To contribute in assuring fair process by providing information and support to asylum seekers free of charge.
It is only the history as told by each individual that will and should determine their right to protection.
Our Aim
Is to assist asylum seeker community by providing a high standard of information services to both bona fide refugees and those not granted international protection.
Our Motto
‘FAIR PROCESS FOR ALL’
Introduction
Professional delivery of legal and public service information, supported by individual interview preparation, assists in ensuring that the rights of asylum seekers are respected.
Experience to date shows that interview preparation, and the presence of legal representation, supports better adherence to a fair process. It contributes to lessening hardship by connecting asylum seekers to available welfare services, through increased respect shown and moral support.
It is also anticipated that this may help reduce the length of time spent in the asylum procedure, including time spent in poor living conditions in Closed Controlled Access Centres (CCACs), ‘containment’ facilities where applicants for international protection reside during the examination of their cases.
It is widely recognised that the asylum process can be physically, emotionally, and psychologically demanding for many people, given the circumstances in which they leave their home countries and the conditions in which they are required to live during what is often a prolonged procedure. Large numbers of asylum seekers, mainly from the Middle East and Central African countries, continue to arrive from Turkey across the Aegean Sea. Increasing numbers are also arriving from eastern Libya across the Mediterranean to Crete and nearby islands.
Greek authorities, in coordination with the European Union, detain newly arrived asylum seekers and migrants. The containment’ of people in CCACs creates significant hardship, particularly for vulnerable individuals, including survivors of torture, children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and those with serious health conditions.
Access to basic services remains limited. Health care, social support, and essential services are often insufficient or overstretched. Since the cessation of the EU-funded Cash Assistance programme in. March 2024, many people have been left without even minimal financial support, increasing vulnerability and dependency on limited local services.