A refugee organization in the Netherlands filed a lawsuit against the government over the "inhumane treatment" of asylum-seekers in the country.

VluchtelingenWerk Nederland filed a lawsuit against the state at a court in The Hague on Wednesday.

As a result of austerity measures, thousands of refugees have had to live in tents or sports halls under "inhumane circumstances" for almost a year, the organization argued.

It wants to force the government to meet minimum legal requirements including privacy, health care, a bed, decent food, clean showers and toilets as well as protection from the elements.

In the past few weeks, the situation at the national asylum center at Ter Apel in the northeast on the German border had come to a head, the refugee group said.

Given the camp is overcrowded, hundreds of people have to sleep outside or on chairs in waiting rooms. "The situation has fallen below the limit," the organization asserted.

The state secretary for asylum issues, Eric van den Burg, previously spoke of an "unsustainable situation." He wants to force municipalities to accept asylum seekers. The court case is scheduled to start on Sept. 15.

A large influx of refugees has caused the crisis. It is stable at around 43,000 people per year.

In the wake of austerity measures and the closure of asylum centers, there are now no places available for refugees and waiting times are increasing, said Frank Candel, chairperson of the refugee organization.

"This is not about force majeure, but about policies which have been failing for years," he added.

The approximately 60,000 refugees from Ukraine are not affected by the crisis. They have special status and have been housed by Dutch municipalities or in people's homes.