The refugee situation in Greece continues to be catastrophic. An aid organization is now accusing the government of an imminent famine in the camps – almost a third of the people are being denied food.
Thousands of refugees are still stuck in detention centers in Greece. In addition to the catastrophic hygienic and infrastructural circumstances, there is now another threat for the migrants: hunger.
As the aid organization “International Rescue Committee” (IRC) reports, almost a third of the 16,559 migrants who are currently in detention centers on the Greek islands are threatened by famine. The IRC blames the Greek government for this humanitarian catastrophe. This would have decided last autumn to stop serving food to all people who are not part of an asylum procedure. Those whose asylum application is approved or rejected could remain in the camps until further notice, but would no longer receive food.
6,000 people in the refugee camps are not cared for
Currently, enough food would be provided for 10,213 people, with more than 6,000 people left without food, IRC said. The aid organization condemns this approach, especially since around 40 percent of the migrants in the camps are children.
Teachers at local schools report that many children come to class without breakfast and without even having snacks for the break.
Dimitra Kalogeropolou, IRC’s Greece director, shows no understanding for this situation: “It is intolerable that people in Greece are not getting food – in a country that has the means to ensure food and safety for all people.”
Since the end of last year, the IRC has been specifically committed to ending this “unacceptable situation”. The reason for these circumstances is the change in the law, which means that people who are not in the asylum process no longer receive vital services.
“People are being pushed to the edge of the abyss”
Kalogeropolou emphasizes: “Local organizations are reporting that children are crying because they have not had a decent meal for days. We are witnessing conditions that could amount to famine.”
All these warnings seem to have died down in the halls of the Greek Parliament. The EU Commission is also demanding from the government that all people – regardless of their status – receive food immediately.
As “The Guardian” reports, the state secretary for the initial reception of migrants Manos Logothetis vehemently describes the allegations as “nonsense”. The aid organizations would have invented these claims.
“If even ten refugees in this country are denied food distribution, I will quit my job.” And further: “If a famine would actually exist, there would be protests and uprisings,” said the minister.
Logothetis emphasizes that talks are held with the responsible EU Commissioner every week and that she has been assured that there are no problems with food and that everyone who is supposed to receive it, including the needy and disabled, will receive support.
However, in a written statement, the ministry reiterated that under Greek and European law, only applicants for international protection could be considered beneficiaries and entitled to material reception conditions and therefore food.
Many migrants return to the camps
In recent months, however, precisely the group that does not fit into this pattern has grown – even if Athens is praised for the faster processing of asylum applications.
But this also creates new problems. Integration aid in Greece is very sparse, so people whose asylum applications have been approved return to the camps because bureaucratic hurdles and the language barrier make it impossible for them to get a job.
Kalogeropolou takes a similar view: People whose refugee status has been recognized in Greece are forced to live in refugee camps because they have no way of earning a living or renting their own apartment due to the lack of integration assistance.
The camps are thus the last safety net into which the migrants keep falling back: “They have nowhere else to go, and the provision of government food is the only way to feed themselves,” explains Kalogeropolou.
Whether granted or rejected asylum status, one thing is certain: “Something has to change urgently.”
Sources: ,
Source From: Stern
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