The Red Cross Asylum Department

The Danish Red Cross has been responsible for the accomodation of asylum seekers in Denmark for more than twenty years.

The Danish state has hired Red Cross to operate the asylum centres and to ensure teaching and activation of asylum seekers while the authorities are processing their asylum case.

The Red Cross Asylum Department has approximately 575 employees working full- or parttime. Nurses, teachers, pedagogues, social workers, technicians and practical staff members are large groups of employees.

Emergency preparedness
The number of asylum seekers varies from year to year. For several years, the three largest nationality groups among asylum seekers have come from Afghanistan, Iraq and the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. The number of asylum seekers heading for Denmark has decreased drastically during the last five years. In the year 2000, 12.200 persons had their asylum application proceeded in Denmark. In 2004 the number decreased to 3.235.

The Danish Red Cross Asylum Department is prepared for emergency operation. This means that we shall be able to provide housing for a very large group of persons within a very short period of time.

Economy
The Asylum Department is a division within the Danish Red Cross. But whereas the Danish Red Cross relief aid is financed through donations and collections, the asylum worked is solely financed by the Danish state. Therefore, the economy of the Asylum Department is completely seperated from the all other parts of the Danish Red Cross.

Values
The work of the organization is grounded on the Red Cross principles. That means that the Asylum Department has to ensure all residents a safe, meaningful and dignified waiting time at the asylum centres.
It is very important that asylum seekers strenghten and maintain their skills while they are waiting in order to take care of themselves and their families in the best way possible, whether or not their future is in Denmark or somewhere else.

One of the fundamental principles of the Red Cross is neutrality. This means that the Danish Red Cross Asylum Department has nothing to do with the processing of residents individual cases.

Read more about the asylum application at Immigration Service here