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Over 260 foreigners request refugee status, additional protection in Belarus so far this year
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MINSK, 18 June (BelTA) – Over 260 foreign citizens have requested refugee status or additional protection in Belarus so far this year. The geography of candidates has changed very slightly in comparison with previous years, BelTA learned from Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Belarusian Internal Affairs Ministry Aleksei Begun on 18 June during a press conference timed to World Refugee Day (20 June).
According to the source, an effective national shelter system has been created in Belarus. The country has established tight cooperation with partners, international and non-governmental public organizations. Three centers to offer temporary accommodation to those seeking refugee status or additional protection in Belarus have been created with assistance of the representative office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. They can accommodate over 60 people, who have been unable to find a place to live in the Republic of Belarus on their own. Aleksei Begun thanked the Belarusian Society of the Red Cross, which invests considerable financial resources in providing humanitarian aid to vulnerable citizens.
Aleksei Begun said that since the legislation on forced migration was enacted, about 9,500 foreigners from 71 countries have applied for refugee status or additional protection. Refugee status was granted to 954 people. Additional protection was granted to over 4,000 forced migrants. In the last six years alone over 4,200 Ukrainian citizens contacted the Belarusian authorities. Over 3,800 Ukrainians, who came from the regions where combat actions were taking place, were granted additional protection.
So far this year over 260 foreigners from 71 countries have contacted Belarusian authorities seeking refugee status or additional protection. The geography of the countries from where forced migrants are coming to Belarus has changed very little. Ukrainian citizens, who resided primarily in Donetsk Oblast and Lugansk Oblast, represented about 75% of the total. Citizens of Russia, Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Cameroon, and other African, Asian, and Latin American countries also contacted Belarusian authorities. Although the total number of forced migrants coming to Belarus has dropped somewhat.
“We’ve compiled a small sociological overview of the forced migrants that live in Belarus. About two thirds of the total are employable age people. One third are underage. Pension-age people represent only 5% of the total. Of the employable age people about 80% study or work, 8% are on maternity leave, and about 12% seek jobs,” Aleksei Begun added. Thus, the average forced migrant in Belarus today is an employable age person with a paid job. Those are often families with one kid or more, with the wife on maternity leave to take care of the child that was born in Belarus’ territory.
Aleksei Begun also noted that most of the passenger transport services have been closed due to the pandemic and the closure of national borders. This is why some refugees were unable to leave their country in search of a shelter. At the same time Belarus has not restricted the arrival of foreign or Belarusian citizens in the country. “Everyone coming to Belarus had access to the relevant procedure, went through the procedure, and the relevant decisions were made in response to their applications,” the official said.
Aleksei Begun noted that from 16 March through 15 June 2020 over 2,300 foreigners sought to extend their stay in Belarus because their countries refuse to take them back or flights are delayed. Or the people were in a crisis situation in Belarus due to restrictive measures implemented by other countries due to the pandemic.
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