Report shows children living in Direct Provision feel ‘unsafe’

Many children living in Direct Provision have said that they feel "unsafe" and that their living conditions are "dirty."

A new report published by the Department of Justice has shown that children living under the asylum seekers welfare system are being negatively affected by their living conditions, as many have complaints about the standard of accommodation and their treatment from staff. The children also raised issues about racism and bullying in the Direct Provision centres. According to the report, men in the centres are "looking creepy" at the children and bothering them in communal areas. There were also complaints that older residents were "taking over" the TVs and that, due to poor transport, there was little opportunity to travel or go out. While some stated that they enjoyed the "nice people" and "amazing community," the majority said that they had been in the "overcrowded" system for too long, and that it was "not fair." An estimated 25 percent of people currently living in Direct Provision are under the age of 17. The current allowance for children in Direct Provision is €9.60 per week, with adults receiving €19.10. Next month, this is set to increase to €21.60 for both adults and children. The report showed that many of the children are concerned about the lack of money their family receives. One child spoke of the small allowance given for clothing saying: "you can't buy shoes for that!" Teenagers, in particular, emphasised that the clothing budget stopped them "fitting in with their peers." While a lot of the children suggested changes relating to better accommodation and facilities, the majority said that they just wanted to "get our papers quicker" and end Direct Provision. Chief Executive of the Children's Rights Alliance, Tanya Ward, said that the end goal needs to be getting people out of these centres. Speaking on Morning Ireland, she said that "This is the kind of treatment you would expect in large scale institutions and there would be real parallels for survivors of industrial schools."