Author
Under Slovak law, asylum seekers must be informed about their rights and obligations related to reception conditions, including the rules governing accommodation in reception facilities and the services available to them during the asylum procedure. Information on daily life within reception facilities is primarily provided through the internal rules of the respective facilities.
In practice, each asylum reception facility displays its internal house rules (“camp rules”) in a publicly accessible place, typically on notice boards located in common areas. These rules are generally available in Slovak and English and contain information on the functioning of the facility, residents’ rights and obligations, daily schedules, and behavioural requirements within the accommodation centre.
Based on the experience of the HRL and interviews conducted with asylum seekers residing in reception facilities, many residents rely on mobile translation applications to translate the camp rules into their native languages. In some cases, asylum seekers reported that they were not aware of the existence of these rules or had not received adequate information about them. For this reason, asylum seekers often seek information regarding the functioning of the reception facility, as well as their rights and obligations, from their legal representatives, reception facility staff, or officials of the MO who conduct their asylum interviews. Given the relatively low number of asylum seekers residing in reception facilities, applicants generally have regular and direct access to reception centre staff, including the management of the facilities, on a daily basis.