Ruth, a long-time resident of Samos, Greece, drove us from Kokkari to the capital Vathy (or Samos) to talk with Julien, the local leader of 'Medecins Sans Frontieres' (English: 'doctors without borders'). He proved a great resource not only on refugee issues but also on the constraints under which MSF operates.
 |
| Julien |
As an organization, MSF provides free medical / humanitarian aid to people who would otherwise not receive such help. Their employees are paid a small salary plus living stipend which is derived from donations; often they also hire local talent which helps a little with the unemployment problem that Greece has.
MSF has been active on Samos since October 2015. According to UNHCR about 90,000 refugees landed on the island in 2015 (roughly triple the actual population of the island which amounts to 35,000), sometimes more than 1,000 per day, usually coming from the Turkish mainland south of Izmir. They stayed on the island only a short time, counted in days rather than weeks before their onward journey to Athens and to the borders of other countries in the EU.
This changed on March 21 when the EU decided that Turkey should take in all those immigrants that couldn't get through the borders of fortress Europe. Greece has a huge coastal border --it measures 13,676 km (8,498 mi)(source: Wikipedia) --which is all but impossible to protect from incoming refugees.
Because of the rough and cold seas in March and of course of the new EU law, the refugee stream dropped dramatically but didn't stop. It increased with the better weather conditions. So, for example this week (the week of May 31, 2016) there were 7 people from Iran, the day before 47 from all over Asia Minor but a lot from Pakistan, and the day before 20 people.
The portion of the detention center that is visible there is the older area consisting of real houses; to the left of the gate on the photo we could see a lot of tents. I took some good close-up photos of the detention center but unfortunately the guards on duty ordered me to delete them all. These are the only ones I kept. They also called the police who then escorted us down the mountain to the police station. Because of the dog we waited outside the police station while they checked our papers; then we were free to go.
MSF and the Idea of Detention Centers One wonders how legal such detention is; MSF sees it as a violation against human rights. To this effect MSF has crafted an open letter to Europe which pleads for Europeans to not turn their backs to the crisis and to not return the refugees to the country of last transit (Turkey).
According to Julien, initially, i.e. last year, there were 47 people on the MSF team consisting of doctors, nurses, social workers and translators for the most important languages of Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu. Since fewer refugees came, the MSF team decreased to its present size of 20 people.
Refugees in Detention Centers
Ever since the new EU law took effect, the refugees are housed in the existing detention center behind bars, a so-called HOT SPOT. All the Greek islands that take in refugees primarily from Turkey have now such hot spots. In these centers refugees are supposed to wait for their registration papers, their asylum papers. After 25 days they are allowed to leave the camp. The number of 25 days appears to be arbitrary, nobody really knows why this particular number has been picked by the authorities. Definitely the papers demonstrating asylum status won't be ready by then.
Ever since the new EU law took effect, the refugees are housed in the existing detention center behind bars, a so-called HOT SPOT. All the Greek islands that take in refugees primarily from Turkey have now such hot spots. In these centers refugees are supposed to wait for their registration papers, their asylum papers. After 25 days they are allowed to leave the camp. The number of 25 days appears to be arbitrary, nobody really knows why this particular number has been picked by the authorities. Definitely the papers demonstrating asylum status won't be ready by then.
The detention center has been conceived for about 280 people, Julien estimates that about 950 - 1,000 people are living there and the number is increasing. Even though the Greek authorities are supposed to send refugees back to Turkey, this is clearly not happening as the swelling numbers in the detention center seem to indicate.
Ruth and I decided to visit the detention center to see what there was to see. As one can see on the photo below the center is fenced-in and most people seem to be inside the center. Miraculously, some kids had slipped through the hole in the fence (everyone seems to know about the hole!) and were playing outside and Ruth's dog created quite some excitement.
 |
| The detention above Samos city |
Ruth and I decided to visit the detention center to see what there was to see. As one can see on the photo below the center is fenced-in and most people seem to be inside the center. Miraculously, some kids had slipped through the hole in the fence (everyone seems to know about the hole!) and were playing outside and Ruth's dog created quite some excitement.
 |
| Ruth with her dog causing some excitement |
The portion of the detention center that is visible there is the older area consisting of real houses; to the left of the gate on the photo we could see a lot of tents. I took some good close-up photos of the detention center but unfortunately the guards on duty ordered me to delete them all. These are the only ones I kept. They also called the police who then escorted us down the mountain to the police station. Because of the dog we waited outside the police station while they checked our papers; then we were free to go.
MSF and the Idea of Detention Centers One wonders how legal such detention is; MSF sees it as a violation against human rights. To this effect MSF has crafted an open letter to Europe which pleads for Europeans to not turn their backs to the crisis and to not return the refugees to the country of last transit (Turkey).
MSF suspended all activities INSIDE the detention centers because the conditions no longer existed in which to deliver politically impartial and independent humanitarian aid. For a (worthwhile) discussion on what MSF stands for and what the French organization considers politically impartial, independent humanitarian aid read this article from the Smithsonian Magazine from April 2013.
MSF stayed on Samos and they operate under clearly defined conditions. Thus, additional space for about 250 people has been made available in empty hotels for people with medical problems.
MSF stayed on Samos and they operate under clearly defined conditions. Thus, additional space for about 250 people has been made available in empty hotels for people with medical problems.
The conditions in the detention center are bad as can be imagined when more than three times as many people live together than originally planned. There is an acute lack of fresh water and for the longest time there were only 11 sinks to wash clothes in according to long-time volunteers inside the camp. This sink situation has changed to the better, however, but fresh water problem remains a concern.
Most refugees are healthy upon arrival; they generally need to be treated against Hypothermia, later also against scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency which was prevalent during WWII (disease symptoms are bleeding gums and bruising due to week blood vessels). For a discussion on scurvy occurrence in the developed world, read this article from the Netherlands. According to UNHCR, outbreaks of scurvy have increased in frequency during the last decade among refugees in camps that are dependent on food aid.
Infectious diseases are, of course, a concern when so many people live so closely together but at least in the Samos Hot Spot such diseases have not broken out yet. Julien emphasized several times the great need for mental health care which MsF is not able to meet. Particularly people from war-torn countries experienced unimaginable traumas which culminated in the journey across the Mediterranean Sea and ended with the prospect of NO HOPE. These are the most vulnerable people who would also get no help at all if sent back to a Turkish camp.
So, it should not come as a surprise that after the initial relief to be among the survivors on Greek and thus EU soil, camp residents get impatient wondering when and what the next step will be. Or whether there will be a next step.
According to Julien some agressive overtures occurred in the detention center with the result that some 30 trouble-makerswere taken by the Greek police to Turkey in the first week of June 2016. In that same week a fire broke out not only in the Samos detention center but also in those of the other islands close to Turkey, Lesbos and Chios (see map). One wonders whether these fires were part of a plan executed by some refugees-- an assumption on the part of observers since most of them seem to have a smartphone or a tablet.
----------------
----------------
Sources:
Gugliotta, G (2013). The Big Dilemma Facing Doctors Without Borders. Smithsonian Magazin, April 2013. Retrieved on 6/4/ from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-big-dilemma-facing-doctors-without-borders-4946758/#QRKBpiGSoYSPg0BQ.99
Rian A.A. Wijkmans, Koen Talsma (1/2016). Modern Scurvy. J Surg Case Rep. 2016 Jan; 2016(1): rjv168. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707387/
WHO/NHD 99.11 Scurvy and its prevention and control in major emergencies. Retrieved on 6/3/2016 at http://www.unhcr.org/4cbef0599.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment