As part of a public session on “Asylum in Cyprus and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights” and pulling from Caritas Cyprus’ experience at the grassroots level, Caritas Cyprus’ Elizabeth Kassinis discussed the “Reception of Asylum Seekers and the Impact on Human Dignity”. She was part of a panel that included Corina Droushiotou, Cyprus Refugee Council; Harris Charalambides, UNHCR; and Aristoteles Constantinides, University of Cyprus. The June 5 event—hosted at the EU House and opened by Deputy Head of Representation Nikolaos Isaris—was organized by the Cyprus Refugee Council within the framework of the “Rooting for Rights” project which aims to promote the use and understanding of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in order to strengthen the protection of human rights for applicants of international protection across Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Portugal. As noted by Desiree Birinci of the Cyprus Refugee Council in her introduction, the event was intended to promote awareness on human rights and refugee law in relation to asylum processing and reception conditions in Cyprus.
