Introductory remarks

Adequate security of the housing, its furniture and its equipment should be ensured in line with applicable national legislation and regulations and with the overall goal of ensuring a safe living environment for the applicants for international protection as well as the personnel working in the housing facilities.

Standards and indicators

STANDARD 11: Ensure sufficient security measures.

Indicator 11.1: A risk assessment is carried out on a regular basis, taking into account external and internal factors.

• Additional remarks: Factors to take into account for the risk assessment are: security issues expressed by the applicants, the condition and location of the housing, attitudes of the local resident community, number of people to be accommodated, composition of nationalities among residents of the housing, gender and family status of applicants, applicants with special needs accommodated there and incidents in the past.

Indicator 11.2: Adequate security measures are introduced based on the outcome of the risk assessment.

• Additional remarks: These measures could include, for example: facilitating access control by setting up a fence around the housing, ensuring the 24/7 presence of a staff member, ensuring sufficient light in the outside areas of the housing premises and a video monitoring system, restricting public access where needed for the safety of the applicants and the inclusion of security-related aspects in the ‘house rules’.

Indicator 11.3: It is possible to report security issues (e.g. theft, violence, threats, hostility from external community) to the personnel responsible in a safe manner.

• Additional remarks: Applicants should be informed about the reporting line in case of security incidents.

Indicator 11.4: The numbers for emergency calls are displayed in a visible place and a phone is available.

Indicator 11.5: Security measures also focus on the detection and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence.

Indicator 11.6: Specific arrangements have been made for applicants with special needs.

• Additional remarks: Specific measures should be put in place to ensure the security of all applicants, in particular those with special needs related to their age, family status, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation and physical or mental health problems. Specific security arrangements should also be in place for victims of human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence, torture or other forms of psychological and physical violence. These measures could for example include the possibility to accommodate applicants with a different sexual orientation separately from other applicants from the same sex, or the transfer of an applicant who is at risk of becoming or has become subject to gender-based violence (cf. Standard 3: (Re-)allocation of applicants as a result of their special needs) or offering a protected space for children to play which is free of hazards. In facilities hosting unaccompanied minors specific preventive measures should be in place to prevent minors going missing.