Rights agency tells 3 asylums shelters to improve conditions

By Kim Rahn

Three state-run shelters for asylum seekers have been instructed to improve living conditions in the facilities.

The National Human Rights Commission said Monday it recently recommended that the Ministry of Justice improve the treatment of people and living conditions at the shelters in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

The commission said the shelters are being operated like “detention centers.”

It added that asylum seekers are banned from pursuing individual activities except for one hour of exercise three times a week and a religious session.

“Due to such restrictions, they feel a lot of pressure, rather than feeling they are protected,” it said.

The commission proposed that the ministry set up various types of shelters to meet the needs of children, pregnant women and those with illnesses.

It also examined the medical records of asylum seekers during their stay in the centers, and found many cases of depression, schizophrenia, alcoholism, self-injury and suicide attempts.

“During interviews with individuals at the shelters, 41.7 percent of them said that they experienced anxiety. The longer they stayed there, the more anxious they felt,” the commission found.

“An expert pointed out that the shelters do not have rules for emergencies involving mentally ill people. We recommend the ministry come up with measures for such incidents and adopt mental health programs.”

Toilets and shower facilities there also did not protect people’s privacy.

“We know that the toilets are not entirely closed because officers outside sometimes need to check what is happening inside to prevent accidents. But it is wrong to infringe on privacy too much in the name of an effective watch,” the commission said.

It added that there was a case of a child under the age of five that stayed for three months with their parents, telling the ministry this was in violation of the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Earlier this year, the Korean Bar Association and the Advocates for Public Interest Law also released a report about the shelters.

They highlighted the poor living conditions where one meal costs 1,300 won ($1.2), consisting of rice, soup and two side dishes; exercise sessions that were frequently cancelled without proper reasons; and the fact that the shelters did not provide proper winter bedding beyond a couple of blankets.