Living standards in emergency refugee centres are unacceptably low and children in particular are suffering, refugee aid group Vluchtelingenwerk said on Wednesday.

In many of the emergency centres there is a lack of privacy, security and heating, while children are being denied access to education, according to Vluchtelingenwerk.

Aid group workers and volunteers assessed conditions in 21 of the 35 emergency centres which have been set up to deal with the increase in new arrivals. Children live in 16 of the 21 and most of the residents are fleeing from either war or detention. Many of them come from Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Turkey.

The centres have between 30 and 800 beds and include sports halls, boats, hotels, former army barracks and tents. In particular, in the tents there is a lack of privacy and at night there is always noise, which is a real mental health challenge for inhabitants, Vluchtelingenwerk said.

The aid group is urging junior justice minister Ankie Broekers-Knol and the 12 king’s commissioners to take action to make sure refugees are living in humane conditions.

By investing more in the long term, problems can be eradicated in the future, Vluchtelingenwerk said, criticising local authorities for not finding enough beds.

Another problem it cites is the national housing shortage, which means it is a struggle to find new homes for refugees who have been given residency permits.