Author: Marion Bouchetel | oxfam.app.box.com | 7 October 2019
With 45,500 arrivals since the start of 2019, Greece has seenmore irregular sea arrivalsthis year than Spain, Italy, Malta, and Cyprus combined.
As a result of the EU-Turkey deal, which stipulates that asylum seek-ers cannot leave the Greek islands,some30,500 people are trapped on the Greek islandsin deplorable and degrading living conditions, whichdeterioratetheir health, safety and wellbeing.
The registration, medical and asylum services available for asylum seekers in Lesvos are woefully insufficientand represent a failure on the part of Greece to meet its obligations under law. Physical health issues are not treated in time, mental health issues might not even be detected, and people have to wait for months or even years before an asylum decision.
After three tragic deathsinand around the EU‘hotspot’of Moria–including two children –since the end of August, people living in the camp describe it as a‘cemetery’and live in a state of fear2.
In September, over40% of the peopletrappedinMoria ‘hotspot’were children,and over 1,000 of them are unaccompanied. Due to limited space,most ofthem are living in extremely unsafe conditionswith adults.