In late April, Viciebsk human rights activists Pavel Levin Leonid Svetik visited the Norwegian capital city Oslo, on a working visit. The inviting party addressed the human rights organization "Norwegian Helsinki Committee." The purpose of the visit – to familiarize with the experience of government agencies and non-governmental organizations for reception, adaptation and integration of foreign nationals who have requested asylum in Norway.
Two days visit of the Belarusian human rights activists visited the two refugee camps, met with officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Norwegian Directorate for Refugees. Employees of state agencies in detail told about the existing legislation, which regulates the stay of foreigners in Norway. Viciebsk human rights activists have received comprehensive information on the situation of refugees and the action taken by the authorities, that all necessary procedures provided by the law have been applied in respect of each foreigner.
In 2015, the number of refugees accepted by Norway, has more than three times, with the result that the government had to seek an additional 1 billion euros. According to these figures we can estimate the scale of the Norwegian government spending and social aid to foreigners who seek refuge in this small Scandinavian country. Interesting fact: in the past year, only 17 Belarusian citizens (15 men and 2 women) were asked to asylum in Norway.
Effective support to the state in the work with refugees have non-governmental organizations. One of these organizations, in which the office of the Belarusian human rights activists were invited – Norwegian Organisation for the protection of refugees' rights. This organization provides information and legal assistance to asylum-seekers. Every year, more than eight thousand foreigners use the services provided by the staff and volunteers of the organization.
Human rights activists from Viciebsk visited a transit camp, which is home to migrants, pending a decision on granting asylum, as well as persons to whom the authorities were denied the right to reside in Norway. Since the application for asylum can be processed within a few years, the camp has everything you need to stay for both adults and children. The camp has a dining room, well-equipped facilities for relaxation of adults and children, showers, classrooms for studying the Norwegian language, hairdresser, laundry, medical assistance. Residents keep order and hygiene in domestic premises of the camp.
Since the visit took place in the days when the sad anniversary of the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, in cooperation with Norwegian defenders viteblyane participated in two actions devoted to this mournful date. This is – an international conference dedicated to the Chernobyl events and meeting at the walls of the Norwegian Parliament.
Sharing his impressions of the visit, Viciebsk human rights activists deplored the fact that the staff of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which had been officially invited by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice refused to go along with them. Their refusal once again points to the fact that the Belarusian power ministry is not set to close and fruitful cooperation with the representatives of the country's human rights community.
Lyavon Efremenko
