When you turn onto the road that leads to Moria camp, the largest refugee camp on the Aegean islands, you’ll be greeted by children running into the road chasing their footballs, and families waiting in line for a distribution of shoes or clothing from one of the many NGOs operating on the island of Lesvos. You’ll also see the “jungle” – olive groves surrounding the main camp where you can find makeshift homes where most of the 20,000 people that live in the camp are trying to survive.
Chances are you’ll be invited into someone’s tent for tea, or a little one will wrap their arms around your legs, raising their hand for a high five. And you’ll definitely be met by a chorus of “hello, how are you?” from many friendly faces.
Human kindness is at the heart of the camp, with communities looking out for one another and appreciating those that volunteer their time and who strive to ensure everyone is treated with dignity. But despite this, tensions are high - as is common in many camps across the Greek islands. With so many people packed into such difficult living conditions, arguments can erupt over anything - from someone jumping the queue for food, to unequal distribution of supplies - meaning protests and violence are common. These are often seen as the only way people can make their voices heard and remind the government they still exist, speaking out against the horrendous conditions they live in and the unfairness with which they’re treated.
But now, the world is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and, once again, the situation of refugees on the Greek islands is not receiving the attention it needs. With borders closing and asylum processes slowing, or being halted altogether, those living here have had a huge pause button pressed on their lives. In addition to their current hardships, an outbreak of coronavirus inside the camps would have a catastrophic impact.
Closing borders - and closing minds
The world at present is largely closed for business, despite the World Health Organisation advising against border closures as they ‘rarely prevent the spread of disease, but are likely to spur devastating economic and health consequences’ - consequences that will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable.
For governments and populist groups in Europe that were already pushing a hardline anti-migration agenda, creating a narrative that asylum seekers are threatening the ability to successfully contain the virus provides the perfect opportunity to drive forward restrictive policies, such as proposing border closures that may prove difficult to undo once the pandemic subsides. The idea of implementing emergency national border controls in the Schengen Area - normally a “border-free” travel zone - was supported by France’s Marine Le Pen, who used the spread of coronavirus to revive her attempt to close France’s frontier with Italy. Leaders of far-right parties in other EU countries, including Germany and Spain, reiterated the sentiment. Leader of the opposition Lega party in Italy, Matteo Salvani, tried to use the current crisis to justify the “closed ports” policy he advocated for whilst in government, which acts to close ports to migrant rescue ships arriving in Italy. The restriction of movement through actions such as these, alongside pushing boats back in order to prevent them reaching shore, and halting asylum cases, aren’t necessarily intended to protect the public: they’re part of a rising trend in Europe to limit migration from certain populations.
Reality of life in the camps
Boats that are managing to make it to Lesvos are being detained in small detention centres or are simply being left on the beaches with no shelter. This is a bid to prevent someone with COVID-19 from bringing it to the main camp but conditions in these places are inhumane.
The process for claiming asylum has also only recently been reinstated after all cases were put on hold throughout Greece’s lockdown period: in a bid to clear the islands quickly, there’s a risk that many people will have their case rejected without being given a fair interview. With mass rejections occurring alongside insufficient access to legal aid, individuals face the prospect of horrendous conditions in detention centres before being deported with no chance to appeal the decision.
All camps on the Aegean islands are already violating refugee rights and basic human rights due to lack of available schooling and medical care. The pandemic we’re currently facing amplifies these violations: the European Convention on Human Rights states that there must be no derogation from the right to life in times of emergency. Current conditions mean that those in the camps that are most vulnerable to COVID-19 are less likely to survive, which should guarantee their immediate evacuation to safety in another European country. The EU is failing in its commitment to human rights by not taking action.
The risks of an outbreak
With worldwide advice telling us to wash our hands and avoid crowded spaces: how do you wash your hands more when you share a tap - that frequently runs dry - with 1,300 others? How can you possibly avoid crowded spaces when there are ten people living, eating and sleeping in a space barely big enough for one?
It would already be tough enough to contain a COVID-19 outbreak in such living conditions. Settlements like this are a breeding ground for contagious diseases like COVID-19. Moreover, due to a lack of access to healthcare in Moria camp, many individuals already suffer from health issues that would place them in the “at risk” category - those more likely to have complications or die from COVID-19.
Conflict around the world hasn’t stopped because of coronavirus, so people are still arriving on the Aegean islands. Their lives have been disrupted in the most enormous ways, leading them to take the incredibly dangerous journey across the sea to seek a new beginning in Europe. They should be granted the right to safety - to live in humane conditions, without fear of war or persecution, with access to education and livelihoods.
My reality and privilege
My time in Lesvos was cut short due to rising tensions within a group of residents on the island who began carrying out targeted attacks on NGOs and refugees. These right-wing activists were motivated by a desire to claim back their island after years of feeling forgotten, not only by their own government but the rest of Europe too. Back in 2015, before the presence of NGOs, Greek people were the first to the shores when rubber dinghies arrived, providing food, water, and shelter for migrants landing on the islands. But after many years of arrivals and no obvious solution in the pipeline, a small group of right-wing activists resorted to violence to make their voices heard.
At first, I was moved to Samos (another of the “hotspot” islands - the name given to the camps in the north-eastern Greek islands) to support the team there. But with news of Italy and Spain bringing in strict isolation rules and Trump closing US borders, the assumption was that the rest of the world would soon follow suit, so I made the unbelievably tough decision to leave Greece for a while and fly home to my family back in the UK. I boarded the plane, questioning why the name of the country printed on my passport should award me the privilege of safety, while others in more danger must stay behind?
I did nothing to deserve the privilege of freedom of movement, other than being born with a certain nationality: why is it that those fleeing from war, persecution, and danger in their home countries do not deserve that same privilege?
As I, and other volunteers start to return to the islands, it shouldn’t rest on international aid to provide support to the camps. There should be no camps for us to return to. Volunteers from across the world are providing services to this forgotten population that the EU has ignored. With cases of COVID-19 reported in the quarantine camp for new arrivals in Lesvos, it has never been more urgent for governments to respond and decongest the islands immediately.
In March this year, Europe Must Act initiated a social movement calling for immediate decongestion of the Aegean Islands, a fair and humane EU migration policy, and dignified and legal conditions of reception across Europe. Join over 94,000 others and add your signature to the petition.
Anna Pickering
Anna is a University of Sunderland graduate from North Yorkshire, and has worked in the charity and non-profit sector in fundraising and events for three years. She began volunteering this year in Lesvos, Greece, and is heading back this summer to continue supporting the work of NGOs on the island.
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