MPs and journalists have been confronted with shocking living conditions at the Pournara reception centre for asylum seekers in the outskirts of Nicosia.
The centre which has a capacity for 600 people currently holds over 2,500 including 287 unaccompanied minors aged 15 1/2 and under, according to Philenews.
They are mainly African citizens but a number of them also come from war-zone countries such as Syria and Iraq.
The House Human Rights Committee members were overwhelmed with the condition there where overcrowding, lack of toilet facilities and tents in the mud prevail.
Among the most shocking site were 12 children cramped in a container.
The MPs pledged to put pressure on the government to take immediate action so that living conditions in Pournara are improved.
Over the weekend, residents in areas near the overcrowded centre staged a peaceful protest calling for measures to be taken to prevent the slow but steady deterioration of their living conditions.
They primarily argue that petty crime in the area is on the rise.
