More than five years since the beginning of the migration crisis, Lithuania's accommodation centres are still struggling to provide basic living conditions. According to a report by the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office, some people are also subjected to collective punishment and de facto detentions.
"First and foremost, this raises not only issues of dignity but also hygiene and safety," Lithuania's Seimas Ombudsperson and head of the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office, Erika Leonaitė, told LRT.lt.
The Seimas Ombudsmen's Office published an almost 100-page report on conditions at the Pabradė Reception Centre, which is run by the Reception and Integration Agency, as well as at the Foreigners Registration Centre operated by the State Border Guard Service (VSAT).
The government’s Reception and Integration Agency said the shortcomings identified in the report were already being addressed, although this could not yet be independently verified. The agency rejected LRT’s request to visit the Pabradė centre.
According to Leonaitė, the problems in Lithuania's migrant accommodation centres extend beyond living conditions. In her view, many of them stem from much deeper issues rooted in public attitudes.
