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The Humanitarian Affairs Unit constitutes a major department at FWC and it directly responds to the needs of vulnerable populations, with emphasis on asylum seekers and refugees. The Unit offers direct services to these populations, and also advocates and raises awareness on related issues among stakeholders and the general public. The main projects implemented by the Unit are the UNHCR funded project which provides legal aid and social support to asylum seekers and refugees under the project name Strengthening Asylum; the Unit for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture (URVT) operating the UNVFVT project, which offers services and rehabilitation to victims of torture, who are asylum seekers and refugees. In addition, the Unit implements and participates in various related research projects such as the project examining the Inclusion/Exclusion of Refugees in the Cypriot Society.
For more information on the work we do with vulnerable groups see our Constitutional and Value Policy: Special Focus on Vulnerable Groups.
Ongoing Projects
Strengthening Asylum has been implemented by the Future Worlds Center since May 2006. It is funded by the UNHCR Representation in Cyprus. This project’s main objective is to ensure that beneficiaries have access to a fair and efficient asylum procedure, while they can enjoy the rights they are entitled to according to national, European, and International law. To this end, Strengthening Asylum assists asylum seekers through the asylum procedure, as well as refugees in Cyprus under international protection, with free legal and social aid.
The Unit for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture (URVT) is a project that aims to support and promote the empowerment and rehabilitation of torture victims and victims of trafficking who are asylum seekers or persons granted with international protection status in Cyprus and to assist them to integrate into the local society. It takes a holistic approach, offering legal advice and social assistance directly to the persons of concern and their families, as well as referring them for medical and psychological care. Its services are facilitated through a structure designed on the standards of the Istanbul Protocol - United Nations Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment - and its services are offered to the beneficiaries by specialised, experienced and well-trained personnel. In addition, URVT functions in association to a network of volunteer service providers, medical professionals, and interpreters. URVT operates under the Humanitarian Affairs Unit of the Future Worlds Center. One of the most important beliefs of the Future Worlds Center is that by befriending and understanding people of different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, the future world becomes a better place. For information click here
Provision of Free Legal Assistance to Asylum Seekers is a project funded by the European Refugee Fund and the Republic of Cyprus. This project will compliment the additional projects run by Future Worlds Center's Humanitarian Affairs Unit. Its mission is to provide asylum seekers with free, confidential, independent legal advice and representation, throughout the asylum procedure, and ensure access to a fair and effective examination of their case.
Past Projects
"Improvement of the Situation of Asylum Seekers in Cyprus" is a project funded by the Federal Republic of Germany. The project aims to take a holistic approach by working both at the individual and the societal levels. By offering legal services, we will respond to the needs of the target population, who are one of the most marginalised groups in the country and by launching public advocacy and awareness-raising activities we will affect xenophobic public attitudes, discriminatory state policies and practices in an effort to make Cyprus a more inclusive and accepting host society. This projects works complimentary to the other projects of the Humanitarian Affairs Unit.
Fleeing Homophobia was a project carried out by the VU Amsterdam University and the Federation of Dutch Associations on the Integration of Homosexuality, COC Netherlands. It was funded jointly by the European Refugee Fund and the Dutch Ministry of Justice. The project assembled 26 asylum law experts to compose a report on the situation of LGBTI asylum seekers in their respective countries. Corina Drousiotou, the Future Worlds Center’s senior Legal Advisor and head of the Humanitarian Affairs Unit, was the national representative for Cyprus.
The Future Worlds Center has been a partner in a European Refugee Fund Community Actions project, for the promotion and dissemination of good practice in addressing specific needs of vulnerable groups – especially victims of torture and human rights violations. The project was based on a transnational in-depth study and evaluation of working and treatment methods, and it run under the German Association of Psychological Centers for Refugees and Victims of Torture (BAFF). The project was funded by the European Commission’s European Refugee Fund Community Actions 2009.