The Dublin system
How does it affect people's lives?
The Dublin II Regulation gives criteria for determining which EU state is responsible for processing an asylum claim. This is very often the country that a person first arrived in. This puts excessive pressure on border areas, where states are often least able to offer asylum seekers support and protection. To an individual or family caught up in the system, a decision to transfer them to another country when they have already gone through so much to reach a safe place can be devestating.Azekel
Azekel. fled his home in Angola without knowing where he was going, and ended up in Belgium where he was put in detention, despite his poor health. Since he was smuggled into Belgium on an Italian visa, he was subject to the Dublin Regulation.
Kasim
Kasim is 39 years old and fled political persecution in Iraq in 2001. He sought asylum in Sweden but after four years he was sent back to Italy, where he had first arrived, under the EU's Dublin Regulation.
Mahdi
Mahdi was tortured by Iran's secret police and fled to the Netherlands in 2000. His asylum application was rejected and in fear of being sent back to Iran, he fled to Denmark. He has since been returned to the Netherlands and is now living without status.
Maia
Maia lives in Spain with her son and has begun to rebuild her life after the tragic death of her husband, following the family's transfer from the Netherlands under the Dublin Regulation.
