Advocacy - 2021
“All I Want Is To Be Free And Leave” - Life in the Controlled Access Centre in Samos
18 December | Report
Samos Advocacy Collective and Europe Must Act have released a report with direct testimonies from people living in the new closed camp in Samos to mark International Migrants Day.
This report is the result of the monitoring project, started two months ago in collaboration between EMA and the SAC with the goal of investigating the human impact of this type of facility and highlighting the personal experiences and voices of people forced to live in the new camp. The testimonies featured in our report show a recurring feeling of unsafety and imprisonment, and show a stark contrast between the reality and the alleged improved living conditions that were promised.
Read the full letter here.
A Letter from the Syrian Residents of the C.C.A.C. of Samos
12 December | Letter: English | Ελληνικά
Syrian residents of the recently opened Closed Controlled Access Centre of Samos have written a letter highlighting that neither Turkey nor the new camp are a safe place for Syrian refugees.
Last November, three young Syrians were burnt to death in a “cold blood”, racist attack by a Turkish nationalist. This incident, which received little media coverage, provides yet another evidence that “Turkey is not a safe country for the Syrians”, despite being deemed so by the 2016 EU-Turkey Deal and by the Joint Ministerial Decision by the Greek Government in 2021. In issuing this decision, Greece declared that Syrians (among other nationalities) that had passed through Turkey before claiming asylum in Greece could have their claim in Greece dismissed because they could allegedly receive protection and safety in Turkey. Needless to say, this argument is untenable.
As Turkey has not accepted returns of refugees to its territory since at least March 2020, thousands of Syrians in Greece find themselves stuck in limbo. Those in Samos are now forced to live in a prison-like camp funded by the EU. Testimonies from the report “All I Want Is To Be Free and Leave” shows that people living in the camp are subjected to unwarranted and indefinite detention, inedible food, lack of basic services and fundamental rights and freedoms.
This piece of writing highlights the violence, discrimination and fear that Syrian refugees face from Turkey to Greece. We share this letter to amplify the plight of people whose lives have been put on hold. The system is broken, and the voices of the Syrian community living in Samos reminds us just how broken.
Read context on the situation for Syrian refugees in Samos here.
Press Release: As thousands go hungry in refugee camps on the Greek mainland, 28 organisations echo EU Commissioner’s calls on Greek authorities to ensure that all people have full access to their rights and receive basic means of subsistence
15 December | Press Release
On 7 December 2021, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ms. Ylva Johansson, issued a robust response to a joint open letter by organisations working in Greece. Addressed to the European Commission and the Greek government, the letter of 26 October 2021 called for immediate access to adequate food and water for all people residing in state-run or -managed facilities, irrespective of their legal status.
Read the Press Release here.
Inquiry about the Ministerial Order of Detention in the Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) in Samos
10 December | Letter
Last week, 12 organisations and civil society groups sent a letter raising concerns about the restrictions implemented in the C.C.A.C. in Samos. We have now entered the third week in which camp residents who do not have a valid asylum applicant card have not been allowed to exit the camp.
As of 9th December, there has still been no ministerial circular published regarding the decision to implement new entry and exit restrictions since Tuesday 16th November 2021. The lengthening of time in which these restrictions are arbitrarily detaining people in the C.C.A.C. is increasingly concerning and constitutes a violation of human rights and freedom of movement.
The 16 co-signed organisations and civil society groups request the Ministry of Migration and Asylum to immediately lift to the restrictions on entry and exit for people without a valid asylum applicant card in the absence of a public decision from the Ministry.
Read the full letter here.
Inquiry about the Ministerial Order of Detention in the Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) in Samos
30 November | Letter
The co-signed organisations and civil society groups present in Samos wish to raise concerns about the restrictions implemented in the camp over the last two weeks, whereby camp residents who do not have a valid asylum applicant card have not been allowed to exit the camp.
This rule is impacting: (i) people who have registered at the Samos CCAC for the first time and are yet to receive a valid asylum applicant card, hence are detained for an unspecified period often due to long administrative procedures; (ii) people who have received negative decisions to their asylum claim.
As of 30/11, there has not been a ministerial circular published regarding the decision to implement new entry and exit restrictions as of Tuesday 16th November 2021. These severe restrictions raise real concerns as they compromise the freedom of movement of approximately half of the current camp population.
As a consequence of the raised concerns, 12 organisations and civil society groups demand that the Ministry of Migration and Asylum:
In the absence of a public decision from the Ministry, an immediate lift to the restrictions on entry and exit for people without a valid asylum applicant card
Publish a statement from the Ministry giving legally grounding evidence to their recent decision to detain people without a valid asylum applicant card inside the camp.
Read the full letter here.
Holding the space: Women and Girls Safe Spaces for refugees and asylum seekers in Greece
24 November | Article
“Women and girls have less access and power in public spaces than men. The creation of safe, female-only spaces has been a key counterspace created for women to feel safe and for feminist movements to organise. In humanitarian contexts and emergencies - in which the existing social networks and institutional structures disintegrate – safeguarding women and girls’ rights is crucial…
…In this context, holding the space is not only creating and maintaining a physical space for women, but also advocating for these spaces to exist.”
At Samos Volunteers, our Women-Only Space is open every weekday and is a space that “fosters solidarity, empowerment or even just (acts as) a basic nurturing environment which is free of violence.”
These quotes have been taken from an article that our Women's Space Manager, Ignacia Ossul-Vermehren, has written - reflecting on the importance of securing women’s safe spaces, especially focusing on the context in Samos.
Read the whole article here.
Free Humanitarians
11 November | Open Letter
Sarah, Seán and Nassos were search and rescuers volunteering on the island of Lesvos in 2017. They joined a Greek rescue organisation which helped thousands of asylum seekers fleeing conflict and looking to rebuild their lives in Europe. Despite fulfilling their legal and moral duty to help those in distress at sea they were charged with crimes like being part of a criminal organisation, espionage and facilitating illegal entry. They spent 108 days in pre trial detention and today, they go on trial - facing 25 years behind bars.
On the 18th of November, after three long years of uncertainty, court proceedings against Sarah, Seán, Nassos and 21 other individuals will start on Lesvos. Unfortunately, these charges are far from uncommon as authorities continue to criminalise humanitarians and activists supporting people on the move. Human Rights Watch have stated that this prosecution is the criminalisation of saving lives.
Samos Volunteers are joining 49 other organisations to call for justice for humanitarian workers such as Seán, Sarah, Nassos and the 21 others who face 25 years in prison for saving lives at sea.
Read our joint letter to the Hellenic Minister of Migration, the Hellenic Minister of Justice, the European Commission Vice President and the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Justice here.
Feminist Asylum
04 November | Press Release
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are specific reasons for women, girls and LGBTQI+ people to flee their countries and seek asylum in Europe.
However, the journey to safety is also systematically violent and exploitative. SGBV is prevalent along the European migration route, even though various conventions have been signed stating the obligation for Europe to protect people vulnerable to such violence.
Feminist Asylum is a movement calling for:
- victims of SGBV to be protected, supported and their voices listened to
- adequate procedures established for the effective recognition of asylum grounds specific to women, girls and LGBTQI+ persons
- legal channels facilitated for women, girls and LGBTQI+ people to apply for asylum in Europe
The voices of victims of SGBV, women and LGBTQI+ persons must be listened to, their experiences recognised and their lives protected.
Read more and sign the petition here.
The real crime is the border regime – Freedom for N.* & Hasan
08 November | Press Release
Today marks the 1-year anniversary of a shipwreck close to Samos during which N.'s lost his child.
N. is now facing up to a 10-year prison sentence for "endangering the life of his child", together with Hasan, who is facing a life sentence for the death of one person plus a further 10 years imprisonment per transported person, amounting to 230 years plus life imprisonment.
These charges are an attack on the right to seek asylum and demonstrate that the criminalisation of refugees is used as 'strategy of deterrence' to inhibit others from seeking safety in Europe.
70 groups & organisations across Europe are launching the campaign "Free the #Samos2" for N. + Hasan. We demand that:
All charges against N. and Hasan to be dropped
The travel ban on N. to be lifted so that he can see his family and find some consolation
Freedom for all those imprisoned for 'boat driving' despite the fact that there is no alternative to reach the EU
An end to the criminalisation and incarceration of people on the move
Read more and sign the petition here.
Relocation from Greece: Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead
04 November | Joint Open Letter
Since 2015, over 25000 individuals in the refugee and migrant community, including unaccompanied minors, have been relocated from Greece to other EU countries. These relocation programmes have been very positive - with individuals finally able to settle in a country.
“I felt I could [finally] have a safe life and that I could build my future”. - Y., an unaccompanied child who arrive in Greece from Afghanistan when he was 15 years old and subsequently relocated to Portugal.
This relocation scheme organised by the EU is scheduled to come to an end, yet, there is still a compelling need for continued relocation of people from Greece to other EU countries. Reception conditions and access to essential services and asylum procedures still fall short of international standards.
“When I started my journey to reach Europe, I was dreaming of becoming a doctor. After staying in Greece for 2.5 years, this dream evaporated” - Y.
Samos Volunteers, together with other 26 organisations, are calling for the continuation of relocation from Greece to other EU countries. EU countries and the EU Commission have the resources and ability to welcome everybody and must stand in solidarity with those who have had to leave their homes.
Read the full joint open letter here.
Denying food: instead of receiving protection people go hungry on EU soil
26 October | Joint Open Letter
Together with 32 humanitarian, human rights and civil society organisations, we express our deep collective concern regarding the latest policy implemented by the Greek government that has excluded thousands of persons from food provision since October 1st.
In March 2020, the Greek government amended an existing law (Art.114, L.4636/2019) resulting in the discontinuation of all material reception conditions, including food, for all beneficiaries of international and subsidiary protection as soon as their protection status is granted.
This has left thousands of recognised refugees, including single mothers with young children, pregnant women, elderly people, and chronic patients, without shelter, living in public squares, without access to food, water and primary healthcare.
We are calling on the Greek government and EU Commission to:
Ensure that all persons residing in state-run or managed facilities have access to adequate food and water, irrespective of their legal status.
Ensure that, in accordance with the Art. 38(4) of the European Directive 2013/32/EU and in view of the discontinuation of readmissions to Turkey since March 2020, those asylum seekers for whom the safe third country concept has been applied, have their applications examined on the substance and merit and are provided with respective legal status and adequate reception conditions, including food.
Read our joint letter to the Greek Prime Minister and Minister of Migration, the European Commission President and the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs here.
Action for Education•Changemakers Lab •Danish Refugee Council•Lighthouse Relief•Europe Must Act•Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid•HumanRights360•International Rescue Committee•HIAS•ARSIS - Association for the Social Support of Youth•ECHO100PLUS•Equal Rights Beyond Borders•Jesuit Refugee Service - JRS•Ελληνικό Συμβούλιο για τους Πρόσφυγες - Greek Council for Refugees•Greek Forum of Migrants - Ελληνικό Φόρουμ Μεταναστών•Greek Forum of Refugees•INTERSOS Greece - INTERSOS Ελλάδα•Lesvos Solidarity - Pikpa•ΜΕΤΑδραση - METAdrasi•Refugees International•Refugee Legal Support-Athens•Safe Passage•Still I Rise•Terre des hommes-Hellas
Common Letter for the Creation of a Safe Area for Single Women Within the New Center
On 17/09/2021, on initiative of DIOTIMA Centre, a letter was sent to the competent authorities to ask for the provision of a safe area for single women and single mothers with their children in the new structure in Samos.
We deeply believe that the absence of an accommodation space for single women, which would differ from the one planned to accommodate unaccompanied minors, will have a negative impact on the lives of many women living in the new facility. These women arrive to Europe and apply for asylum, in seek of security and protection, having often survived incidents of gender-based violence in their country of origin, as well as during their journey.
The letter was signed by 13 organisations active in Samos and in Greece:
Centre for Research on Women’s Issues (CRWI) “Diotima”•Greek Council for Refugees•ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth•METAdrasi – Action for Migration and Development•Médecins Sans Frontières•Samos LGBTQI+ Group•Refugee Law Clinic Berlin•Avocats Sans Frontières•Glocal Roots•Med’ Equali Team•Still I Rise•Just Action•Samos Volunteers
A new hotspot in Samos | deterrence and isolation undermining asylum seekers’ rights in the Aegean
Press Release: English | Ελληνικά
The unprecedented minimum record of about 600 people confined on Samos is now facing the prospect of being transferred to a new, large-scale, high-surveillance facility located in a remote hill area at the centre of the island - entirely funded by the EU.
While today the planned 'inauguration ceremony' of such a facility takes place in the presence of government authorities and international guests - we speak of the many reasons why this manoeuvre does not count as a 'solution', such as:
• unjustifiable absence of a protected safe space for women and girls inside the camp, which implies that competent authorities are not meeting their basic responsibility to safeguard and protect them
• long-criticised absence of reliable protection mechanism, particularly impacting the life, safety and mental health of LGBTQI+ refugees which will be now further cut off from solidarity networks and accommodated within the same communities and nationalities they fled from
• lack of a enforcement of the human right to education for all children and adults confined inside the camp, whose prospects of re-socialisation and integration are now systematically undermined
Above all - despite the relative improvement of material living conditions - this new 'hotspot' will not only represent a further act of marginalisation and deterrence from national and EU authorities against people fleeing from war-torn countries and destitution, but also an unlawful curtailment of people's agency, autonomy and access to solidarity networks - with further impact on their mental health.
Our position is clear: no camp is a ‘good campo’, and this system of reception is not what international protection is supposed to look like.
Samos Volunteers is committed to continue our work to support all people confined on Samos island for as long as support will be needed - while continuing to raise awareness and advocate for a humane and lawful policy change.
Access to Vaccines for Everyone | campaign on initiative of Intersos, Greek Forum of Refugees and Greek Forum of Migrants
Press Release: English | Ελληνικά
ATHENS August 16, 2021. The current COVID-19 crisis has put healthcare under tremendous pressure. COVID- 19 has greatly impacted undocumented migrants in Greece.
For undocumented people, who are excluded from the health systems, the pandemic has exacerbated preexisting conditions of social exclusion and destitution. International and EU bodies have recommended addressing marginalized communities, including migrants in situations of vulnerability, in national vaccination strategies.
The Greek government has reassured that the coronavirus vaccine will be available free of charge for all-in the country. In Greece, however, it is not possible for vulnerable groups, and more specifically for undocumented migrants, to register for vaccination.
INTERSOS Hellas, GFM and GFR are inviting anyone interested to join the campaign and sign this call. COVID-19 vaccine must be available for all.
Samos Volunteers has joined this advocacy campaign together with Babel Day Centre, ZEUXIS, HumanRights360, Jesuit Refugee Service Greece, Diotima Centre, Symbiosis,ECHO100PLUS, Network for Children's Rights, DRC Greece, SolidarityNow, Terre des hommes-Hellas, ARSIS,Greek Council of Refugees
WALLING OFF WELCOME | One year after the Moria fire: few lessons learned as Greece expands barriers to refugees' protection
8th September 2021 - Full Report
Greece and the European Union (EU) are jointly implementing and deepening the status quo—harmful policies focused on deterring and containing asylum seekers and refugees rather than preparing to welcome those who need protection.
With financial and technical support from the European Commission, authorities are rapidly constructing fences and concrete walls around existing camps, building closed camps in remote locations on the Aegean islands, and introducing legislation to further restrict the freedom of movement in and access to camps.
The walls are a physical manifestation of a long-standing policy of containment adopted by the EU and its Member States to isolate asylum seekers close to EU borders and away from local communities.
By reinforcing such policies, they will impede effective identification and protection of vulnerable people; limit access to services and assistance for asylum seekers; hinder independent monitoring of conditions inside facilities; and exacerbate the harmful effects of displacement and containment on individuals’ mental health.
Moreover, these policies will preclude displaced people’s integration in local communities, to their detriment and that of Greece.
45 civil society organisations urge EU institutions and national governments to abandon policies that contain people seeking asylum at Europe’s borders and instead facilitate their integration and social inclusion.
They must fulfill commitments to share responsibility for ensuring displaced people’s adequate reception, in line withEU and international law and stated European values.
In particular, the Greek authorities and the European Commission and its Task Force Migration Management must reverse the extension of containment policies represented by the new reception facilities under construction.
Measures must be taken to mitigate the expected negative impact. A true show of EU solidarity would build bridges between communities, not walls.
Vaccination Campaign Curtailed By Discriminatory Treatment Of Residents in Vathy Refugee Camp
21 July 2021 - Despite all the public statements of success and all the EU funds allocated to cover for the Covid-19 emergency, asylum seekers and refugees are still cut off from accessing the potentially life-saving vaccine doses. The authorities responsible for the health care of the people confined in the hotspot have repeatedly failed to bring enough doses to vaccinate all of those interested in the camp.
On two occasions, in the past two months, an unsufficient amout of vaccine doses have been made available to Samos camp residents - meaning that, despite fully complying with all necessary requirements and procedures, and after a long wait, around 90 people have been left without the vaccine they had been registered for.
The official explanation provided is an alleged unavailability of vaccine doses. However, as vaccine doses are clearly still available for the general population, we are left wondering why there is no fair and equal access for the refugee population.
Samos Volunteers decided to step in and support all camp residents that want to receive their Covid-19 vaccine. We will support them in booking the appointment and drive them to the Health Centre in Karlovassi on the other side of the island, the only way they can access the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
Everyone should have access to the Covid-19 Vaccine, including refugees and asylum seekers. Vaccination is key to ending the pandemic, which has disportionately affected those living in refugee camps - who also lack the funds and means to travel to the vaccination centre in Karlovassi - not to mention the actual access to the information on where they can get vaccinated.
A global public health crisis is only one of the many reasons why in our European Union there should be no place for exclusionary policies and discriminatory treatments.
We therefore call on all the competent authorities to provide access for everyone, including those without status, to vaccines immediately.
A Crime Of Survival | research report on the Syrian refugees in Samos camp
On June 20th, 2021 to mark World Refugee Day, Europe Must Act invited activists and NGO workers to discuss the living conditions of refugees in the Aegean hotspots, together with asylum seekers and with MEP and LIBE member Tineke Strik.
You can rewatch the panel discussion and Q&A here.
On this occasion, former Vathy camp resident Mohammad presented the independent report project that he undertook with a team of Syrians, titled ‘A Crime Of Survival’.
The executive summary, published with support of the Samos Advocacy Collective is available here.
Why you need to read this report.
Today, wherever you are, you may feel safe and secure. But everything you have could be taken from you at any moment.
You, your father, your mother, or a friend may suddenly find themselves in the kind of vulnerable situation that so many others find themselves in on the Greek island of Samos. Situations those people could have never imagined for themselves..
So, read about those people, and listen to them.
One day, very soon, you will have to be ready to answer to your children when they will ask you what did you do to the refugees, when they came to your country searching for safety.
The substantive examination of asylum applications is the only safe solution for refugees
ATHENS, 14th June 2021— 40 NGOs in Greece stand against the arbitrary recognition of Turkey as a ‘safe third country’ for Syrian, Afghan, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Somali asylum seekers.
Press Release: English | Ελληνικά
It is widely known that, in Turkey, people seeking asylum from non-European countries are not granted international protection per the 1951 Refugee Convention, while in March 2021 Turkey announced it would withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, and will thus not be protecting victims of gender-based violence.
This ministerial decision only reinforces the externalisation policy established 5 years ago with the EU-Turkey Statement that shifts the responsibility to protect refugees, including unaccompanied children, arriving in Europe to seek asylum and which effect is to turn Greek islands into a place of confinement for thousands of displaced and persecuted people, as authorities prioritised ‘containment’ over proper reception and protection.
Furthermore, since as far back as March 2020, Turkey is de facto not accepting the return of refugees and asylum seekers from Greece: refugees whose applications have been rejected as ‘inadmissible’ according to the ‘safe third country’ principle will endure protracted legal uncertainty, social exclusion, destitution, homelessness, and even prolonged detention in Greece.
The ‘safe third country’ concept have a major implication: its systematic use can only lead to the global shrinking of the international protection system, due to EU encouraging ‘safe third countries’ to apply the same practice to other so-called ‘safe third countries’.
Action for education•ΑRSIS—Association for the Social Support of Youth•Better Days•Centre Diotima•ECHO100PLUS•ELIX•Equal Rights Beyond Borders•Europe Must Act•European Lawyers in Lesvos (ELIL)•Fenix—Humanitarian Legal Aid•Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)•Greek Forum of l•Greek Forum of Refugees (GFR)•Greek Helsinki Monitor•Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR)•HumanRights360•Human Rights Legal Project (HRLP)•Initiative for the Detainees’ Rights•International Rescue Committee (IRC)•INTERSOS•INTERSOS Hellas•Irida Women's Center•Legal Centre Lesvos•Lesvos Solidarity•Lighthouse Relief•Médecina du Monde—Greece•METAdrasi—Action for Migration and Development•Mobile Info Team (MIT)•Network for Children’s Rights•Network for the Social Support of Refugees and Migrants•Odyssea•Refugees International•Refugee Law Clinic Berlin•Refugee Legal Support (RLS)•Refugee Rights Europe (RRE)•Refugee Support Aegean (RSA)•Samos Volunteers•SolidarityNow•Still I Rise•Terre des hommes—Hellas
FOR A EUROPE THAT TRULY PROTECTS | Joint NGO Policy Brief on the Screening Regulation Proposal
May 5th, 2021
full version: English | Ελληνικά
In September 2020, the European Commission presented its proposal on a new Pact on Migration and Asylum, promising a ‘fresh start’ to Europe’s approach to migration. The Pact introduced a number of legislative proposals that are currently being examined in the European Parliament and the Council, including the Regulation introducing a screening of third country nationals at the external borders.
The proposed Screening Regulation seems set to replicate many of the most worrying elements of presentcpractice in Greece, including ineffective vulnerability screenings and the detention or containment of people on the Aegean islands in unsuitable, undignified and often unsafe reception conditions.
This policy brief outlines the most worrying potential impacts of the proposed Screening Regulation in relation to the protection of asylum seekers and their rights. Drawing on experience from our collective work in Greece and testimonies of asylum-seekers we have worked with, this brief also provides recommendations for amending the current proposal.
The undersigned 12 organisations, therefore, urge Members of the European Parliament and representatives of EU member states to:
1. Protect the most vulnerable and safeguard the right to asylum:
The proposal must be amended to guarantee that no person is incorrectly channelled into fast-track border or return procedures as this risks referring highly vulnerable people to substandard procedures and can result in their unlawful return in the absence of a fair and full assessment of vulnerabilities, medical conditions and age.
2. Ensure adequate conditions and prevent unlawful detention:
The proposal must be amended to guarantee that the screening process respects EU standards for both reception and respect of human rights, as foreseen in the Reception Conditions Directive, and refrain from any form of detention in the absence of important individual grounds.
3. Guarantee effective independent oversight and accountability through an improved monitoring mechanism:
The proposal must be amended to ensure that the monitoring mechanism is expanded in scope, and that independence and accountability are guaranteed and suitable consequences are included that follow reported violations. It must introduce substantial provisions that allow for thorough documentation and full transparency during procedures, as well as reporting, investigation and sanctions mechanisms for all stakeholders involved, to prevent potential abuses of power.
International Rescue Committee (IRC)•FenixAid•ΔΙΟΤΙΜΑ - Centre for Research on Women's Issues (CRWI)•Danish Refugee Council•ΑΡΣΙΣ - Association for the Social Support of Youth•Δίκτυο για τα Δικαιώματα του Παιδιού (Network for Children's Rights)•Terre des hommes Hellas (Tdh)•Human Rights 360°•Refugee Rights Europe (RRE)•Still I Rise•Samos LGBTQI+ Group•Samos Volunteers
THE INVISIBLE EMERGENCY | A collective of Samos grassroots NGOs releases a report on the mental health crisis for asylum seekers in Vathy, Samos
April 7th, 2021 (press release)
full report: English | Ελληνικά
To mark World Health Day, the Samos Advocacy Collective* has released a new report examining the impact of reception conditions on the mental health of asylum seekers living on Samos island, Greece.
The report, titled ‘Mental health in Samos: the invisible emergency’, argues that asylum seekers face compounded mental health threats arising from how a lack of basic necessities, social exclusion, the Covid-19 pandemic and long asylum procedures impact on the already inherent challenges of displacement.
The report highlights additional challenges faced by marginalised groups, including girls, women and the LGBTQI+ community.
Drawing on reports written over 3 years, the collective of NGOs evidences just how long this emergency has gone unresolved, and demand prompt action by the Greek and EU authorities to safeguard mental health by providing comprehensive vulnerability screenings, quick transfers, mental health and psychosocial service provision along with dignified living conditions.
*The Samos Advocacy Collective is a coalition of humanitarian NGOs operating in Samos, Greece, across a range of sectors.
Civil society demands that Greece’s Recovery Plan prioritises making society greener and fairer
ATHENS, 23 March 2021 — 70 civil society organisations co-signed an open letter to the Deputy Minister of Finance, Theodoros Skylakakis, initiated by Common Ground and Greenpeace, outlining their priorities for a green and just recovery and seeking more public involvement in developing policies.
In July 2020, the European Union launched a €750 billion pandemic recovery fund, of which 37% is earmarked specifically for fighting climate change with the rest going toward other investments and reforms to strengthen resilience, a digital transformation, fairness, and macroeconomic stability. EU member states now have until the end of April to submit their final spending plans to account for their share of the financial aid. Greece will receive €32 billion in a combination of grants and loans.
Greece, like all other member states, has now until the end of April to submit a plan to the EU outlining how it will spend the €32 billion it will receive in recovery funds to overcome the effects of the pandemic. Civil society recognises this as an unprecedented opportunity for a truly just, inclusive, and sustainable transition and seeks transparency in the planning process.
So far, civil society has been largely left out of the process and kept in the dark, despite hopes that it would be inclusive and transparent.
Given that recent crises (economic, refugee reception, pandemic) have deepened social inequalities in Greece, the signatories contend that recovery policies should target typically overlooked populations such as impoverished households, the homeless, migrants, and refugees. At the same time, they call for policies that prioritise protecting the environment and reducing the effects of climate change in order to ensure a sustainable future and stave off future disasters and displacement.
After years of austerity, the refugee reception crisis and now the pandemic, this large sum of money can enable society to turn a corner and start truly recovering from economic and social problems. To succeed, Greece must avoid repeating the policies of the past that led us to the difficult position we are in today (confronting rising inequalities, polarisation, injustice, biodiversity loss, and the climate crisis).
Common Ground is a new platform for strengthening strategic cooperation among civil society in Greece. From greening the economy to reducing inequalities to safeguarding human rights, Common Ground seeks to accelerate change through joint action.
Covid-19 restrictions are impacting LGBTQI+ asylum seekers in Samos and fueling a rise in discrimination
On the occasion of the 2021 Zero Discrimination Day, the Samos LGBTQI+ Group has published a press release titled ‘The Discrimination Epidemic’ with the aim to shed light on how the dangerous living conditions and barriers to adequate protection mechanisms in Vathy RIC, coupled with Covid-19 restrictions, have impacted the safety and security of LGBTQI+ asylum seekers on Samos.
Pre-pandemic LGBTQI+ asylum seekers were already particularly vulnerable, especially in emergency situations, to violence, discrimination and difficulties accessing services. [...] Hate crimes against LGBTQI+ persons are the most common form of discrimination in Greece and whilst limited legal protections exist for queer persons, such protections are difficult to access, for all queer persons in Greece and are rarely realised for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers especially in the camp settings. Moreover as ILGA highlight “asylum detention remains the default form of reception - known to be dangerous and harmful for LGBTI asylum seekers.
Read the full press release: English | Ελληνικά | Français
If you want to be update on all activities and achievements of the LGBTQI+ Group, you can follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
Press Release - Samos Volunteers, Action for Education & Glocal Roots - ‘Emergency winter sheltering’ should not be the job of grassroots organisations
27.01.2021
The full statement can be found here: English
Over the weeks of late January temperatures have dropped drastically on Samos and in the broader Aegean region.
A group of community centres in Vathy town have been asked by UNHCR representatives and local authorities to open their community centres and host the most vulnerable over three of the coldest nights.
From Monday 18th to Wednesday 20th January, around 50 people — pregnant women and single mothers with small children — have been hosted inside the centres of Samos Volunteers, Action for Education and Glocal Roots.
Despite unanimously recognising that tangible, long-term solutions are needed, all grassroots NGOs in Vathy have once again stepped in to cover the immediate needs that would not have been otherwise met during this harsh cold spell.
It is highly problematic to rely on NGOs to provide basic necessities to the most vulnerable people and for the competent authorities to negate the responsibility of ensuring that human rights are not violated.
People seeking asylum in Europe deserve — and moreover, it is their right — to receive a treatment that is just, humane and lawful.
Every one of us is morally bound to speak out, and to call on the EU and European governments to take responsibility and find a just and long-term solution to the conditions in Samos.
Press Release signed by 20 NGOs in Greece - On the concerning news regarding lead concentration in the temporary site in Lesvos
download the full statement: Ελληνικά (PDF)
On January 23, the Greek Ministry of Immigration and Asylum admitted the potential risk of lead contamination for employees and guests of the temporary migrant reception structure in Mavrovouni, Lesvos.
This announcement raises questions about the importance given by competent authorities to protecting the health of people living and/or working in the temporary structure.
Civil society’s concerns are in particular the following: that since mid-September, employees and/or guests of the structure may have already been exposed to lead levels ‘above the acceptable limits’; that there is no foreseeable measure put in place at the moment to ensure the overall health of the population of the structure; that in full knowledge of the above, the Migration Ministry and the European Commission, prioritised the existing policy of confinement of refugees and migrants, despite the risk of life and health those living and working in said structure.
As the protection of human life and dignity are non-negotiable values and rights, we call on the Ministry and the European Commission, with the assistance of the Member States:
1. To ensure, taking all necessary measures, that the life and health of the population is not endangered.
2. To proceed to the immediate evacuation of the camp and the transfer of the entire population to appropriate structures inland or elsewhere (e.g. hotel units).
3) To carry out the immediate investigation of the area by a special scientific team and to publish the results of any further, as in the previous research, in the spirit of transparency.
Signatories:
Actionaid Ελλάς•Choose Love•Δράση για την Εκπαίδευση•Δίκτυο για τα Δικαιώματα του Παιδιού•ECHO100PLUS•Ελληνικό Συμβούλιο για τους Πρόσφυγες (ΕΣΠ)•Ελληνικό Φόρουμ Μεταναστών•Equal Rights Beyond Border•Θάλασσα Αλληλεγγύης•Κέντρο Διοτίμα•Legal Centre Lesvos•Lesvos Solidarity•Mobile Info Team•Odyssea•Refugee Rights Europe (RRE)•Samos Volunteers•Terre des hommes Hellas•Fenix – Humanitarian Legal Aid•HIAS Ελλάδος•HumanRights360