Greece Refugees: Migrants stuck on Samos island en route to Europe

World
Europe

04:09

Refugees from Africa and the Middle East have continued to enter Greece, before heading to Europe. But on a Greek island, many of them find themselves stuck there, and life is anything but easy. Filio Kontrafouri has this story.

On the beautiful island of Samos, an ugly truth is hidden up the hill. A refugee camp built for 700 people now hosts almost four-thousand. Hundreds live in tents dealing with unsanitary conditions.

Many, like Sandrine from Congo, have been living here for months waiting for their asylum applications to proceed. There's no running water. Bugs and insects are everywhere.

"With 4000 people, how do you go to the bathroom?"

ANTSAR IRAQI ASYLUM SEEKER: "Bathroom, no bathroom. Wash, no wash. Once in the week."

Many of the asylum seekers here are women and children. This Iraqi woman's son requires specialty care for war trauma. They show me papers explaining the medical problems cannot be treated on the island. They keep coming, asking me when will they leave. The sick are supposed to leave faster than others. But it rarely happens. Everything here is an endless wait.

MOHAMMAD ALI ASADULLAH ASYLUM SEEKER FROM GAZA "We come here to find life in general. Life. Where is the life? Look around you. What kind of life in this forest?"

The Greek government took control of the camp in Samos last year. Aid organizations have left. This is the only place on the island where camp residents can find some life. An activity center where they can relax, attend a class and escape the camp conditions.

ANOUK THEUNISSEN SAMOS VOLUNTEER "It is extremely dangerous for women and children to go out at night, they feel unsafe. And they are required, when they have to pee, they have to do it in plastic bottles because they cannot go out. And it's extremely dehumanizing having to pee in plastic bottles, feeling so unsafe in a place where you came to find safety and protection."

Lice and other infestations are rife at the camp. To deal with the problem, Samos Volunteers recently set up this laundry station where asylum seekers can wash their clothes with hot water. And now this small health center, also run by foreign volunteers, provides first aid and consultations in addition to the over-worked medical staff of the camp.

FILIO KONTRAFOURI SAMOS, GREECE "Since the EU and Turkey signed an agreement intended to limit the influx of asylum seekers entering Europe from Turkey, which is right behind me, islands like Samos have become Europe's buffer zone. It is here that Greece, while defending Europe's external borders must also shoulder the disproportionate burden of hosting the thousands seeking a better life in Europe."

In recent months, arrivals outpace transfers to the mainland. There is also a lack of asylum officers to process claims inside the facility. And locals oppose a second camp on Samos. The UN Refugee Agency has been calling on Greece to urgently move people along, and so the main cause behind the limited transfers.

PIPINA KATSARI UNHCR PROTECTION ASSOCIATE "At this point approximately 900 people are not restricted on the island and have the authorization to move to the mainland. However, the pace of transfers has not been what it would need to be due to the fact that there is no available accommodation on the mainland."

The UN has arranged accommodations for a few asylum seekers by renting living space on the island. But for most, Samos remains a prison, an island they hope and pray they can leave before winter arrives. Filio Kontrafouri, CGTN, Samos.