Unaccompanied Children at the Gates of Europe
RRE partnered with Still I Rise to investigate the situation facing unaccompanied minors during Covid-19 in Samos. Drawing from desk research, interviews with unaccompanied minors and staff working with them, our findings underline the further deterioration of an already acute and protracted situation.
The children are trapped in dismal reception conditions without appropriate and adequate services. The access to medical care and psychological rehabilitation is grossly insufficient and unaccompanied children face acute safety risks due to being treated as adults, in clear contravention of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In consequence, these conditions and the lack of protection has bred a mental health crisis on the island.
Summary: While there are many reports regarding the difficulties faced by displaced people living in the Reception and Identification Centres (often referred to as hotspots or RICs) of Lesvos, Chios and Samos, the smaller facilities on Kos and Leros are often forgotten. However, on both islands the hotspots actually make up a large proportion of the islands’ entire displaced population, and therefore require further attention. This report provides first-hand insight into the situation in the hotspots on Kos and Leros in the spring of 2020. It raises serious concerns not only in regard to the material living conditions, but also the impact of Covid-19 related restrictions and detention practices.
Summary: In advance of Greece’s periodic review as a party to the Convention against Torture, Refugee Rights Europe, along with partner organisations, submitted a version of this report to the Committee against Torture on the situation for asylum seekers and refugees in Greece. The report finds evidence of sweeping human rights violations of displaced people and refugees on mainland Greece and the islands of Chios, Lesvos and Samos, violations that could amount to cruel and unusual treatment and torture. The civil society actors that contributed to this report represent a diverse range of sectors, geographic regions, and organisational structures: from national and international NGOs to small volunteer-based aid groups and grassroots legal aid organisations.
An island in despair – Documenting the situation for refugees and displaced people in Lesvos, Greece
Summary: Located across the sea from Turkey, the Greek island of Lesvos receives large numbers of refugees and displaced people hoping to seek asylum within the European Union. Since the so-called EU-Turkey Statement was signed in March 2016, thousands have found themselves trapped in Lesvos whilst overcrowding intensifies and living conditions worsen. In this context, Refugee Rights Europe sent a research delegation to Lesvos from 18 to 22 June 2018, to document and shed light on the situation there. The research findings, based on interviews with 311 refugees and displaced people, highlight an urgent and tense environment on the island due to overcrowding, lack of capacity and resources, and unauthorised mobility.
Summary: Following widespread reports of the deteriorating situation for refugees in the Greek island of Chios, Refugee Rights Europe sent a field delegation to the island to investigate the human rights issues and humanitarian standards experienced there. The research found that the continued arrival of refugees from conflict-ridden countries has led to chronic overcrowding while charities, NGOs and UN bodies are struggling to provide some of the most basic services required. The data presented in ‘An Island at Breaking Point’ was collected on Chios, Greece from 11 to 18 May 2017. Our team of researchers conducted 300 semi-structured interviews in Arabic, Dari, English, Kurdish, and Pashto, to capture the lived experiences of individuals – primarily those over the age of 18.
Summary: Displaced women and girls face a range of specific adversities, ranging from gender-based violence to a lack of reproductive healthcare. Hidden Struggles examines these issues, and exposes the critical need for more funding and resources to protect women and girls in displacement. The study was conducted in mainland Greece in early November 2016, and is based on three different research components: sex-disaggregated data from a survey of 278 camp residents, 38 direct interviews with female residents in three camps, and 58 interviews with service providers operating in camps.
Summary: Life In Limbo investigates human rights violations faced by refugees residing in mainland Greece. The adversities outlined in this report paint an alarming picture of the context faced by displaced people in Europe, and call for firm and immediate policy action. Refugee Rights Europe’s 25 academic researchers conducted 278 surveys in early November 2016. Data was collected at seven different camps – predominately in Southern Mainland Greece – as well as a number of squats and community centres in the city.
Summary: RRE partnered with Still I Rise to investigate the situation facing unaccompanied minors during Covid-19 in Samos. Drawing from desk research, interviews with unaccompanied minors and staff working with them, our findings underline the further deterioration of an already acute and protracted situation. The children are trapped in dismal reception conditions without appropriate and adequate services. The access to medical care and psychological rehabilitation is grossly insufficient and unaccompanied children face acute safety risks due to being treated as adults, in clear contravention of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In consequence, these conditions and the lack of protection has bred a mental health crisis on the island.