Oxfam is warning about hundreds of pregnant women, unaccompanied children and survivors of torture who have been “abandoned” in refugee camps in Greece. Independent talked to Renata Rendón, Oxfam’s head of mission in Greece who confirmed overcrowding, lack of medical care and basic living conditions are one of the biggest challenges.
“For much of the year Moria and other EU hotspots on the Greek islands have been at more than double their capacity. So often vulnerable people are crammed into a container if they’re lucky, a makeshift tent if they’re not, with up to nine or 10 or even more people.” Rendón explained.
“People are in these camps for extended periods of time, they have a lack of information, a lack of interpreters, so they’re often very frustrated which can lead to violence within the camp.”
“The conditions are often dangerously overcrowded, squalid, unhygienic and unsafe for people that are already suffering from very traumatic experiences, sometimes mental health illnesses, sometimes physical disabilities.”
The Oxfam report notes a “particularly worrying” trend detaining teenagers and survivors of torture since often authorities failed to recognise them as vulnerable.
“These circumstances will continue until there is a more fair shared responsibility scheme, so we’re calling on EU member states to share responsibility for receiving asylum seekers” said Rendón to Independent.