Refugees housed in abandoned Dutch prisons
Abandoned Dutch prisons are being used to house refugees — here’s what they’re like inside
By Chris Weller From business Insider
Tens of thousands of refugees from all over the Middle East — including countries like Syria, Iraq, Morocco, and Libya — have found an unlikely haven in the Netherlands.
Crime there has been declining for the last decade, and 19 of nearly 60 prisons have closed in the last three years. Others have taken in inmates from Belgium or Norway.
Now the Dutch government agency responsible for securing housing for asylum seekers has opened prisons in 12 locations around the country to refugees. As the AP reports, the spaces are currently serving hundreds of people in need.
At one such facility, De Koepel, the open space and array of amenities make the prison uniquely suited to serve as a temporary home. Here’s what life is like on the inside.
In 2015, the Netherlands saw approximately 60,000 migrants enter the country. While most were given traditional shelter, the Dutch government called on its prison system to offer its vacant facilities.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
Source: The New York Times
In Haarlem, De Koepel features layers of cells on the perimeters of a main courtyard. The cells are tight, but can accommodate families of three or four with bunk beds.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
Female refugees are given the option to stay in the all-women section of the prison.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
“Their safety is our main priority along with their health and daily needs,” De Koepel’s director, Menno Schot, said of the migrants. “The country is new for them so we are their guide in Holland.”
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
Many of those surveyed in De Koepel said they were satisfied with the conditions, though the food could be better, according to the AP.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
Many reported seeing the heavy prison doors as safety features, not reminders of being oppressed.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
“I don’t feel that it is a prison,” one 16-year-old Syrian migrant told the AP. “What matters is that we are safe here.”
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
Many of the refugees living in the prison are young — some came with their families, while others left them behind. Afghan refugee Shazia Lutfi, for example, came when she was 19.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
Day to day, a sense of normalcy has developed in the prison. Refugees can ride bikes, watch TV, play sports, or listen to music.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
Yassir Hajji, 25, tells the AP that he used to be a barber in his home country of Iraq. While waiting to see if his asylum request gets approved, he likes to practice his Dutch and thread his wife’s eyebrows.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
He has some competition — 31-year-old Syrian refugee Imad Abdulrahman is another barber staying at De Koepel.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
Other couples entertain themselves with music. Afghan refugee Hamed Karmi likes to play keyboard for his wife, Farishta Morahami.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
People also gain a sense of routine by doing chores. De Koepel is one of many Dutch prisons that has opened its laundry service up to residents.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
The refugees aren’t confined in the prisons, of course. De Koepel allows residents to leave the grounds.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
But some might still have trouble shaking off the reality that they’re living inside a prison, away from home.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
For others, life inside a prison could end up serving as a first step toward a life of freedom.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Images
