Aegean Crisis Report.
The refugee crisis in Greece first prompted international attention in 2015 when nearly 1 million refugees arrived on the Mediterranean shores over the course of a few short months. The Greek islands were quickly overwhelmed, and lacked the adequate resources and infrastructure to receive incoming migrants. Over five years have passed and the situation has only worsened for refugees in Greece. Refugee camps have become overcrowded and barely provide the most basic necessities such as adequate shelter, food and clean drinking water. Proper healthcare, education, legal counsel and other essential services remain inaccessible to a majority of the refugee population. Furthermore, the EU-Turkey Deal has left a majority of refugees trapped in camps on the Aegean islands, unable to fully enter civil society or travel to other parts of Greece and Europe. The local Greek population, already struggling to make ends meet during Greece’s economic recession, has become restless and resentful towards asylum seekers. While tensions escalate on the Islands, the EU continues to turn a blind-eye.
At 79.5 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide, we are currently witnessing the highest levels of displacement ever on record. In the context of the European refugee crisis, Greece remains at the front lines as the first port of entry into Europe for most asylum seekers. As such, Greece has seen an unprecedented number of migrants arriving at its shores, and remains utterly ill-equipped to respond to the situation.
There are currently 50,000 officially documented refugees in Greece, but the figure is likely far higher. At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015-2016, over 1 million refugees and migrants arrived at Greece’s shores, and the small Aegean islands, Lesbos, Samos and Chios, were overwhelmed and inundated with thousands of daily arrivals. In March 2016, the implementation of the EU-Turkey deal closed the Balkan route in an effort to limit the flow of migrants into Greece and subsequently other European countries. The EU-Turkey deal is an EU-backed containment policy that seeks to keep refugees attempting to enter Europe quarantined on the Aegean Islands or rerouted through Turkey. The EU-Turkey deal is reflective of the current xenophobia in many Western democracies that has had real and devastating implications for refugees and Greeks living on the Aegean Islands. Since the implementation of the EU - Turkey deal, additional protections for refugees have been rolled back, violating the fundamental rights of asylum seekers under international human rights law, specifically the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Over the past five years, the Aegean Humanitarian Crisis has seen massive human rights violations. Of the estimated 50,000 refugees currently in Greece, and 4,700 are unaccompanied minors. While the overall capacity of the Aegean refugee camps is 6,095, the current occupancy is 26,914 refugees. As a result, most refugees, many of whom are under the age of 12, live in overcrowded and abysmal conditions, without access to basic resources and fundamental human rights. Access to education, healthcare, legal aid, sanitary facilities, adequate shelter, and other necessities remains incredibly challenging. COVID-19 and recent fires in refugee camps in Samos and Lesvos continue to complicate and threaten the lives and security of asylum seekers and refugees living in Greece. As the humanitarian situation and tensions between locals and refugees continue to intensify, it becomes clear that substantial policy reforms and changes need to be implemented to alleviate the suffering on the Aegean Islands.
Recommendations.
Half a decade has passed since the refugee crisis began in earnest, and the situation has only intensified rather than improved. Neither the Greek government nor the European Union have taken serious steps to address the current situation, allowing refugees to continue to live in poor conditions, with no hope in sight. Additionally, locals on the affected Aegean island need support, both financially and logistically, to effectively manage the situation. With the threat posed by COVID-19, addressing the Aegean migration crisis is more important now than ever. We are proposing three key policy recommendations in response —
Our Demands:
The European Union and the Greek government must reform and rethink their current migration policies, keeping human rights at the center.
Greece and the EU should move to humanely decongest refugee camps on the Aegean Islands, relocate refugees to safety on the mainland and provide a safe legal pathway to Europe.
We strongly urge the EU to provide immediate aid and support to both the refugees and the affected local Greek populations.