The situation of the thousands of people who arrive in Greece in recent months fleeing from their home countries is extremely painful, you just have to open a newspaper or watch an informative to realize it. In recent weeks, this situation has changed due to the agreement signed by the European Union with Turkey whereby this country will contain the tide of people to, supposedly, grant refugee status to those who are entitled to it and who is not entitled to return to your country, get it out of its borders.
Therefore the Greek centers that until now were transit have become centers for the retention of men, women and children and NGOs such as Save the Children suspend their work in these centers and others such as UNHCR and UNICEF, redefine them because this new situation goes against international legality.
All these NGOs and many more during these days, denounce the new situation in Greece after the agreement of the European Union with Turkey on the drama of refugees.
A few days ago we knew in first person what the situation was like on the island of Lesbos since thousands of people arrived on the island trying to find a better future for their families. Eva Compés, volunteer of Doctors of the World, spoke to us about impotence, lack of resources, international passivity, inaction and the tremendous injustice and illegality that the agreement that the EU had just signed with Turkey for “ manage ”this tremendous human exodus.
Today we echo the position of other NGOs that were working on the ground collaborating and helping to alleviate the tremendous shortcomings found by the thousands of people displaced there.
UNHCR
He has officially declared that he will not be part of the European Union's agreement with Turkey and that he is concerned that the measures indicated in this agreement are being implemented in the Hellenic country, without the necessary and required guarantees being implemented.
UNHCR it will not participate in returns or in detentions, they will attend the greek authorities because at this time the country does not have the capacity to evaluate asylum applications, nor the conditions to decently accommodate people who arrive in their territory while deciding on their application, about their future.
Save the Children
The NGO has explained through a press release that he suspended his work in the detention centers of the Greek islands because it goes against international legality. They recognize that the risk that children have in these centers is so high that they will maintain some of the protection activities that they were doing for them but they do not want nor can they participate in what they have defined as "A system that includes illegal and unjustified detentions faced by children and their families arriving in Greece."
“It is a shame that Europe is looking for tricks to avoid fulfilling its commitments to offer safe and legal routes to refugees traveling to Europe. It is a shame that the main message that comes out of the EU agreement with Turkey is that the priority is borders over life, ”says Andrés Conde.
Both this and other NGOs have stated that they feel alarmed by forced returns to Turkey. This alarm, on the part of people who work daily for the defense of human rights is a generalized clamor.
The European Union treaty with Turkey was signed on March 20, from the following Monday, March 21, all asylum seekers and migrants who have been arriving in the islands (because they have continued to arrive even if we no longer see them in the media) have been transferred to detention centers until they are interviewed.
UNICEF
It is another NGO that also openly show your concern for the implementation of this agreement in which they miss the protection of the more than 19,000 children refugees and migrants trapped in Greece, are 40% of the migrant and refugee population of the country and 1 in 10 also comes alone, travels alone and requires greater protection without a doubt. The NGO sees how this agreement could push families and children to choose other even more dangerous routes as it is already happening, from Libya to southern Italy.
Borderline situation
In order not to participate in an action that violates fundamental human rights, Save the Children and many other NGOs have suspended their activities in Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros until further notice. Including bus transportation to detention centers like that of Moria that has been taken by the army.
That bus transfer from Lesbos to Moria that is forced to make people who arrive for their detention, we learned a few days ago by Spanish journalists in the area, who detainees are obliged to pay it for the money they carry ... It's hard to understand, yes, it's hard for us to understand the reality that Europe is making them live.
According to Andrés Conde, director of Save the ChildrenApplicants who are taken to these detention centers may be there for weeks or even months in an illegal detention situation that is contrary to both European and international human rights laws. Since UNICEF They point out the importance of maintaining vaccinations in these centers to prevent the spread of different pathologies, as well as the basic education services for children who may be in them without a doubt too long.
It is that incredible the situation we have in a European country such as Greece.
