Europaudvalget 2018-19 (1. samling)
EUU Alm.del Bilag 9
Offentligt
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“I WANT TO DECIDE
ABOUT MY FUTURE”
Uprooted women in Greece speak out
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Amnesty International is truly amazed by the
resilience of the women interviewed for this
publication. Image taken at Melissa Network,
Athens, July 2018.
© Lene Christensen/Amnesty International
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“We need a space where we can
feel safe; where we can express
our fears and our demands
can be heard.”
Mina*, from Iraq, living with her two young children in a camp
outside Athens, July 2018
UPROOTED WOMEN IN GREECE SPEAK OUT
Thousands of women and girls fleeing persecution and conflict
undertake extremely difficult and dangerous journeys to Greece.
This publication focuses on their voices and in doing so shines a light
on the immense courage and strength with which uprooted women
and girls are responding to their situation.
Some have fled sexual and physical violence and discrimination in
their countries of origin only to face further violence and abuse on the
road at the hands of people smugglers, border guards, state officials
or relatives.
* Indicates that, at their request, women’s names have been changed.
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The hardships of the journey are not accidental. On the contrary,
Europe’s closure of borders to people seeking protection is exposing
women and girls in particular to foreseeable risks.
With no possibility to travel legally, women and girls are compelled to
make a journey fraught with risks in the hope that Europe will provide
a place of safety where lives can be slowly rebuilt. For many, those
hopes are shattered on arrival in Greece.
Trapped in overcrowded and squalid EU-sponsored camps on the
Greek islands, women and girls are exposed to several dangers,
including harassment and sexual violence. They are having to
grapple with a dysfunctional reception system on the islands and
the mainland that keeps thousands of people in camps with poor
sanitation and medical care, and that were never intended or
equipped to house people long-term. Whether living in flats in urban
areas or in camps, the lack of adequate information and female
interpreters is a major obstacle to accessing essential services, such
as sexual and reproductive health or legal aid.
Since March 2017, Amnesty International has spoken to more than
100 women and girls living in camps and flats in and around Athens
and on the Greek islands in one to one interviews or focus groups.
Regardless of nationality, personal circumstances or hopes, all
had one thing in common: an urgent need to be heard. All had
crucial things to say about their rights, safety, wellbeing and the
challenges ahead. They also had clear demands for change.
This publication draws on their insights and reflects their stories,
not only of adversity, but also of the life-changing initiatives set up in
Greece, such as community female-friendly spaces where women
and girls come together, access services, rebuild support networks
and gain the knowledge and skills they need to create a better life for
themselves and their families.
Greece has a legal obligation to provide women and girls living in
the country with protection, ensuring dignified and safe reception
conditions, fair access to asylum as well as integration opportunities
for those who remain. Greece must fulfil these responsibilities and
in doing so guarantee women and girls the opportunity to actively
participate in discussions and decisions that affect them.
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The responsibility for their living conditions in Greece lies not only with
the Greek authorities, but with the rest of Europe as well.
The deal between the EU and Turkey, adopted by European leaders
in March 2016, and European asylum rules are the two main
factors which lie at the heart of many of the problems experienced
by refugees, including women and girls.
First, because the deal is forcing many women and girls to remain on
the Greek islands in camps fraught with dangers. No improvement
in camp conditions, however necessary they may be, will ever be
sufficient to mitigate the risks stemming from confining refugee
women and girls on the islands. Second, because the European
asylum rules oblige Greece, as the country where refugees first arrive,
to bear the brunt of the responsibility for their assistance and many
other European countries refuse to change this unfair system.
European leaders should welcome their fair share of people fleeing
violence and persecution. They should offer safe and legal routes to
Europe and reform the European asylum system to make it fair and
compassionate. Failure to do so is not only failing people in urgent
need of protection, it is also failing the people of Europe more widely
who are losing confidence in their governments’ ability to stand by the
EU’s founding human rights principles.
Amnesty International is deeply moved by the courage and generosity
of all the women and girls the organization met with and thanks each
of them for taking the time to share their personal experiences and
views.
The organization is also grateful to the organizations and individuals
who facilitated the contact with the women and offer great support to
them. In publishing this document, Amnesty International hopes it will
contribute to their fight to improve the situation for themselves and for
others, and that it will assist in getting their voices heard by those with
the power and responsibility to protect them.
Women’s experiences in Greece must be listened to and acted upon.
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CONFRONTING
FEAR AND
UNCERTAINTY
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© Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images
From January to July 2018, at least 99 people have lost their lives
trying to cross the Aegean sea. Since 2014, the number is at least
a staggering 1699. Many women told Amnesty International about
the terrifying sea crossing. ‘I thought I was dying’, said Maya*,
a Syrian woman who arrived in Greece with her 5 children.
Amnesty interviewed her in Rafina camp outside Athens,
May 2017. The photo is taken on the island of Kos.
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“There was no choice. Either you
are left behind in the middle
of nowhere with criminals
[smugglers] who would do
anything to you. Or you squeeze
on that boat despite the risks.”
Bahar*, from Afghanistan, describing the journey from Turkey
to Greece with her three children, March 2018
PERILOUS JOURNEYS
The refusal of European governments to open safe and legal
alternatives to perilous land journeys or across the Aegean Sea is
putting women and girls at increased risk of violence, including sexual
violence and human trafficking, on the way.
Women and girls make up an increasing number of those arriving in
Greece seeking refuge.
While in 2015 most of those arriving from Turkey were young men,
since 2016 more and more women – most from Syria, Iraq and
Afghanistan– are among those seeking international protection in
Europe.
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NUMBER OF REFUGEE AND MIGRANTS TRAPPED
IN EU SPONSORED CAMPS ON THE GREEK ISLANDS
(AS OF 21 SEPTEMBER 2018)
HOTSPOT
Lesvos
Chios
Samos
Leros
Kos
TOTAL hospots
Total other forms of accommodation on
the islands (flats, hotels, NGOs, etc)
TOTAL ON THE ISLANDS: 19,904
*Source: National Coordination for border control, Immigration and Asylum, Ministry of Interior
CAPACITY
3,100
1,014
648
860
816
6,438
2,658
CURRENT POPULATION
8, 675
2,266
3,809
679
1,248
16,677
3,227
All of the women interviewed by Amnesty International said they
had no choice but to use people smugglers. Fatima*, a 27-year-old
Afghan woman who travelled to Greece with her two younger sisters,
expressed to Amnesty International in February 2018 her frustration
and deep sense of powerlessness:
“When the European governments closed the doors
to refugees we [as women] got more exposed to
the abuses of the smugglers. And you cannot ask
the police or anyone else for help because you are
‘illegal.’ Smugglers take advantage of that.”
Women described how they had to wait for days in secret houses in
one of the coastal cities in Turkey before being taken to the coast;
some also had to spend several nights in the open air near the coast if
the weather prevented them boarding rubber dinghies.
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“When we got to the coast near Bodrum [in Turkey], the weather was very
bad. Smugglers told us to wait there. We stayed there for 20 days. It was
cold and wet. There was not enough water or food. We didn’t know any
of the people in the group. They were nice, but the smugglers weren’t…
They pushed my mother away, when she begged to go back to Bodrum.
I was so scared, I couldn’t sleep at all. When I wanted to go to the toilet,
my brother walked with me away from the group. But the smugglers
followed us once, so we ran back. After that, I did not pee for so long
that I became ill”
“Yara*, 22, from Syria, travelling from Turkey to Greece with her
mother and her 17-year-old brother, March 2018
Many other women told Amnesty International how travelling in remote
places with unknown men made them feel extremely uncomfortable
and unsafe. Women travelling alone were at particular risk of physical,
verbal and sexual harassment by smugglers. One woman told Amnesty
International that she was asked to give away her teenage daughter for
marriage to a smuggler:
“They harassed me a lot. One smuggler was very
persistent. He said: ‘I’ll send you to Germany by
plane but give me your daughter’. Of course,
I didn’t but I’m still afraid of them.”
Women also said that they were sometimes harassed by the police,
gendarmerie, and locals in Turkey as well as their own relatives or
individuals making the journey with them. Another woman from Iran
living in Athens in March 2017 described to Amnesty International how
her husband forced her to have sex with smugglers when they ran out of
money to continue their journey.
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TRAPPED ON THE ISLANDS
The strength and resilience shown by women on the journey is
extraordinary. However, when they arrive on one of the Greek
islands in the eastern Aegean, instead of the much-needed rest
and sanctuary they are entitled to, they encounter the devastating
consequences of the deal between the EU and Turkey.
Since 20 March 2016, asylum-seekers arriving on the Greek islands
have not been allowed to move onto mainland Greece because the
EU-Turkey deal requires that they are returned to Turkey. The returns
are not happening in the numbers envisaged by EU leaders and as
hundreds of people are reaching Greek shores on a weekly basis, the
effect of the EU-Turkey deal is to trap thousands of people for months
on the Greek islands in inhumane conditions. Their lives are on hold,
and this is having a tremendous impact on their mental health.
As of 5 September 2018, more than 19,500 people were stuck on
the islands. The majority stay in EU-sponsored camps (also called
“hotspots” or Reception and Identification Centres) on the islands of
Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, and Leros. Women account for 34% of
the people; 12% of whom are girls under 18. The remaining 66% are
men, of whom 17% are boys.
People with family reunification claims or individuals who are
considered “vulnerable” – including pregnant women, new mothers
or survivors of torture and sexual violence – are meant to be exempted
from staying on the islands and should be able to eventually move to
mainland Greece. But officers and medical staff in the camps do not
always have the skills or time needed to identify those who should be
exempted. And even when people are identified, they have to wait for
several months until space is found for them on the mainland.
July 2017, activists and refugees
came together on the Greek island
of Lesvos to demand action from
EU leaders.
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© Giorgos Moutafis/Amnesty International
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© Yara Boff Tonella/Amnesty International
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INHUMANE CONDITIONS
“Inhumane” is one of the words most used by women when describing
the five EU-funded camps. Overcrowding in these camps is at a
crisis point with almost 17,000 people living in five camps which were
designed for around 6,400. The Moria (Lesvos) and Vathy (Samos) sites
are especially crowded.
Lack of hygiene and sanitation, insufficient clean drinking water, streams
of raw sewage and infestations of mice and rats are common in all
camps. Several pregnant women described to Amnesty International
having to sleep on the floor and having very little, if any, access to
antenatal care.
Women also have to spend their limited cash on sanitary pads which are
not always provided.
“Everything is dirty here. It’s impossible to keep clean
and when we have our period, it is very difficult.”
Adèle*, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),
interviewed in February 2018
Moria refugee camp
on Lesvos, February
2018. The camp is still
severely overcrowded.
As of 21 September
2018, more than 8,600
people were staying
in the camp, which
has a total maximum
capacity of 3,100.
A tent in the Vathy
camp on Samos,
Greece. February
2018.
© Yara Boff Tonella/Amnesty International
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Adèle* arrived on the island of Samos with her sister in December 2017
and was staying in Vathy camp when Amnesty International spoke to
her in February 2018. Although the camp was designed for 650 people
in prefabricated containers, in September 2018 had 3,800 people living
there mainly in makeshift shelters.
“For two months, we slept in a small tent near the
toilet... There was no electricity and it was very cold.
And when it rained, the water soak[ed] through the
tent. We are now in a container with another family
of four. Still difficult. My mother suffers from severe
back pain and cannot climb up and down the camp
to see a doctor.”
Saman*, 19, from Afghanistan, interviewed in February and
August 2018
Women are coming together to help each other cope with these grim
conditions.
Yvette*, from Cameroon, was living in the Moria camp, one of the largest
in Greece, when Amnesty International met her in March 2018. More
than 8,700 people are staying in this camp which was designed to hold
3,100. When the camp was severely overcrowded, Yvette gave up her
bed for pregnant women.
“I am a mother, so I understand their difficulties. I can imagine how hard
it is to be pregnant in Moria”, she told Amnesty International. Yvette was
also volunteering with a local organization helping with the cooking and
food distribution. “I keep myself busy [so as] not to lose it”, she said.
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AMAL’S STORY
Amal, a Palestinian refugee, worked
as a medical statistician in a
hospital in Damascus, Syria. She
was one of the members of staff
who protested against the hospital’s
policy of treating only military
causalities, not civilians. Some of
those who protested were arrested or
disappeared, so Amal fled, fearing for
her life.
She arrived in Lesvos in July 2017,
where she heard about the EU-Turkey
deal for the first time.
© Yara Boff Tonella/Amnesty International
“For five days, we stayed in a tent all
together: men, women and children.
People referred it to as the ‘prison
tent’. I was shocked and hurt to be
treated as a criminal.”
Amal speaks English and has
managed to find some work as an
interpreter for several organizations
in Lesvos. She doesn’t live in Moria
anymore but her thoughts are still
with the many women staying there.
Amal from Syria used to live in the Moria
camp on Lesvos, March 2018.
“Every day is getting worse in Moria. The camp is so cramped that
even Section C [only for single women] is full now and women
traveling on their own are staying in big tents in the arrival area for
two or three months, very unprotected”, she said in August 2018.
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DAILY DANGERS
“Refugees need protection. If the Greek
government cannot take care of us, let us go.
Don’t keep us here.”
Yvette*, from Cameroon
Severe overcrowding and cramped living conditions are making the
camps extremely dangerous places for everyone, but especially for
women and girls, for unaccompanied children and people fleeing
persecution because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“I don’t feel safe or comfortable in the tent with…strangers.
I leave the camp early in the morning and then I return at night.
I spend the whole day in Alpha Centre [a community centre set
up by Samos volunteers] or I stroll by the sea.”
Maysa*, 25, from the city of Aleppo in Syria. She arrived alone
on Samos in December 2017. When Amnesty International
met her in February 2018, she was staying in Vathy camp.
Everyday activities such as taking a shower or going to the toilet
become dangerous for women and girls because many facilities do
not have locks and there are not enough toilets and showers in a
separate area for them. Poor lighting in the camp makes getting water
or simply walking around at night stressful and risky.
“[The] shower in the camp is cold and there is no lock. Men walk
in when you are inside. There are no lights in the toilets. At night,
sometimes I go to the toilet with my sister or pee in a bucket”.
Adèle*, Samos camp, interviewed in February 2018
Vial camp, Chios. January 2018. When
darkness comes, so does the fear. Many
women in various camps told Amnesty they
were too afraid to leave their tents at night.
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©
Giorgos Moutafis/Amnesty International
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Many of the women enduring the awful conditions are still trying to
come to terms with the trauma of past abuse. For such women, the
insecurity and dangers they experience in Greece are a constant
reminder of the violence they sought to escape.
“I don’t manage to sleep and I still have a lot of nightmares because
of the past.”
Abigail* is from Cameroon. She had fled to Istanbul to
escape domestic violence, sexual abuse and death threats
at the hands of her husband. In Istanbul, she found work in
a sweatshop, but was sexually abused by her employer. A
smuggler helped her to cross the Aegean. When Amnesty
International spoke to her in February 2018, she was sleeping
in a small tent on Samos.
Women persecuted in their countries because of their sexual
orientation or gender identity feel at greater risk.
Simone*, a 20-year-old lesbian woman, left her country after being
subjected to violence, including rape. On Samos, she still found
herself at risk, living in a container with eight people, including four
men.
“Where I come from homosexuality is illegal and my family severely
beat me when they found out I was lesbian. They kicked me out of the
house. Here I feel very nervous because I am sharing the container
with four men I don’t know. I don’t want anyone to know about me. I
stay all day outside the camp and come back only at night, but I don’t
sleep well.”
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SARINA’S* STORY
From an early age, Sarina, now aged 29, knew that she was a girl, not a boy.
Her older brother routinely subjected her to violent abuse because of her
gender identity. Sarina told Amnesty International:
“My brother sometimes used to tie my hands with metal chains and beat
me with them. My mother was unable to help… When my brother burnt my
hands, my mother could not stop it. Everything I did, for [my brother] was a
mistake. I felt that I had to flee [my country] because my life felt that it had
no value.”
Sarina fled to Turkey, but her brother found out she was living as a
transgender woman and issued a death threat against her. Other members of
her family warned her that she ought to leave.
Sarina had no choice but to flee again, this time to Greece. Once on a
Greek island, she felt very uncomfortable in shared accommodation because
she never knew how people would react to her gender identity. She was
verbally and sexually abused in the camp and harassed by police. Sarina
was eventually transferred to a shelter outside the camp, but continued to
experience hostility from other residents. She told Amnesty International:
“I would like to live [a normal life]. I would like to live in Germany, study the
language and become a hairdresser...to live a life, to be respected.”
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FROM CAMP TO CAMP: LIFE ON MAINLAND GREECE
There are around 45,500 refugees and migrants living in temporary
accommodation places on the mainland. Many arrived just before
European countries along the Balkans route sealed their borders
in March 2016, triggering a totally avoidable humanitarian crisis in
Greece. Others have been exempted from the EU-Turkey deal and
transferred from the Greek islands.
For thousands of uprooted people seeking protection, Greece is
turning into a destination rather than a transit country due to lack of
legal and safe options to continue the journey in Europe.
For some women, memories of the journey to Greece are still too
vivid; they don’t want to risk any further travel and hope to restart their
lives in the country. For others, despite the challenges of finding a
job in a country battered by a deep financial crisis, the kindness and
solidarity of Greek people gives them hope for the future.
Whether they are staying in Greece as a matter of choice or because
they do not have safe options to move to other countries, many of
those remaining in the country for long periods of time are enduring
harrowing reception conditions also in the mainland. As of the end
of July 2018, there are more than 16,400 people living in the 26
temporary camps on the mainland. This despite the fact that the
humanitarian crisis in Greece is one of the best resourced crises by
the EU and international donors.
In 2017 the Greek government closed some of the worst sites and
replaced tents with containers in others. But the camps remain
unsuitable for long-term stays and so far, the Greek government has
not prioritized replacing them with more appropriate shelter. Quite
the opposite. This year, three camps that had previously been shut
because they were uninhabitable have been reopened to address
the shortage of shelter for the increasing numbers of people arriving
across the Greece-Turkey land border and the islands.
For the people trapped in camps for prolonged periods, the trauma
of not knowing what the future will bring is exacerbated. Women
interviewed have repeatedly asked to be moved out of camps to
other forms of housing where they can enjoy more privacy and feel
safer, such as the urban accommodation scheme in rented flats run
by UNHCR with the support of NGOs, municipalities and EU funds.
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The arrival terminal of an unused
airport in the Elliniko area, Athens,
May 2017. The camp was closed in
June 2017.
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But the 20,400 flats available are insufficient. This lack of adequate
housing, coupled with the failures to conduct timely and effective
assessments for vulnerability, mean that pregnant women and women
with young babies have no choice but to remain in camps.
Many women living in camps said they felt they had been abandoned.
In July 2018, Amnesty International met a group of visibly distressed
Yezidi women from Iraq staying in Skaramagas, located near Athens.
One said:
“We feel totally forgotten. Some of us have been in the camp for two
years and nothing is changing. We don’t know what will happen to
us. We can’t do anything here and our children are getting crazy.
And after all this time, I can hardly communicate about my problems
because no one speaks our language.”
Women and girls interviewed by Amnesty International spoke about
insecurity in the camps. For instance, in Skaramagas, there was no
official manager on site and no security checks at the entrance for
several months in 2017 and early 2018. Anyone could go in and
out at any time of the day or night and humanitarian organizations
working in the camp reported that smugglers and people carrying
weapons had entered the camp. Since April 2018, private security
guards have been stationed at the gate and the Greek authorities have
appointed a camp manager. But women still feel afraid, particularly in
the evenings, as a Syrian woman explained in July 2018:
“I spend most of the time in the container because I don’t feel safe.
There is a lot of alcohol in the camp and there are fights every day.
I never go out at night and I don’t allow my children to stay on their
own outside, even if it’s close by. The police do not intervene. They
don’t want to know what’s happening here. No one is protecting us.”
The lack of facilities and the poor conditions in camps place a
particularly heavy burden on women who often shoulder the
majority of care responsibilities for children and other relatives.
The psychological impact of prolonged stays in camps is profound.
Women spoke of their anxiety, nightmares, lack of sleep and
depression – symptoms all corroborated by the humanitarian
organizations working in the camps.
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“Everyone loses their mind here.”
Darya*, from Afghanistan, interviewed in one of the three
camps with appalling conditions in the area of Elliniko, Athens.
The camps were finally shut down in June 2017 following
repeated demands from the women and men staying there, as
well as national and international organizations.
The situation does not look set to improve soon. The Greek
government has not appointed sufficient staff and major humanitarian
organizations are gradually moving out of Greece mainly due to lack of
funding. There are fears that access to essential healthcare services,
including sexual and reproductive health; information; and legal
assistance in camps could deteriorate further.
Some women with small children in the camps try to escape the
unbearable conditions by attempting to stay in other camps hoping
for something better. In July 2018, Amnesty International spoke to two
women from Syria who were staying in a different camp from the one
they had been transferred from on the islands. One of the women was
eight months pregnant and the other had delivered her one-month-
old baby in the camp. Camp authorities were not offering them and
their family the option of registering in the camp. This posed several
problems for them, including lack of access to essential pre and post-
natal medical services.
“This is very difficult now, they haven’t given us anything, not even
blankets to put on the floor. All we have we’ve collected from the
street. I must look after my one-month-old baby and three small
children. I need a better place.”
Alma*, from Syria, living in Skaramagas with her family,
including four young children.
In worst-case scenarios documented by Amnesty International,
women, including pregnant women or those with small children, have
had to spend days homeless with the rest of the family outside camps
because they cannot access shelter.
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LACK OF FEMALE INTERPRETERS IMPEDES
ACCESS TO SERVICES
In camps set up on the mainland, medical needs, including access
to mental health services, are in theory covered through a special
programme with EU funds. Following legislative changes in February
2018, healthcare in public hospitals is now available and free of
charge to asylum-seekers and refugees in Greece. But a lack of
female interpreters and female personnel within those services is
preventing women from accessing them. “I don’t feel comfortable
talking about problems with male doctors or male interpreters. I don’t
go anymore”, a Syrian woman said when referring to appointments
with doctors.
Women said that female interpreters and female interviewers are
especially important during “vulnerability” assessments and asylum
interviews both on the islands and mainland. Greek law provides for
language support, but in practice this is not available to many of the
women seeking refuge. The lack of female interpreters in camps,
hospitals and shelters is a barrier to accessing essential services.
“In the second interview, I had to talk about the past abuse I suffered
in Iran and the sexual assault I experienced in Greece in front of a
male interpreter. He was not taking me seriously. He laughed at me.
After the interview I was disoriented, very stressed out. I couldn’t
even find my flat. After the experience, I repeatedly asked for a
woman to do the interpretation. I would not talk in front of that man
again. In the end, I was heard but I had to be persistent. Other women
may not do it and their stories are then untold.”
Azadeh* is a survivor of sexual violence
Women staying in three camps
set up in the old Olympic area of
Elliniko, Athens, May 2017.
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Language barriers and a lack of interpreters, combined with a general
unfamiliarity with the new environment and limited information
provided about services, result in some women feeling too scared to
leave the camps or flats for days. This exacerbates their isolation. “I
hardly go out. It’s too overwhelming”, said an Afghan woman living in
a flat with her three children in October 2017.
Even when they know about the existence of the services, many
women living in flats told Amnesty International about the difficulties
they face finding the time to seek these services because they have
to take care of children and the elderly or have other household
responsibilities.
© Lene Christensen/Amnesty International
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INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION, SUPPORT
AND PROTECTION TO SURVIVORS
Many women and girls seeking refuge have experienced sexual
or physical violence in their country of origin, on the journey and/
or in Greece. Efforts by the Greek authorities to prevent and protect
survivors from such violence have so far been wholly inadequate. The
layout of the camps and the severe overcrowding, particularly on the
islands, are exacerbating the risks of sexual assaults and violence.
In 2017 the UNCHR received reports from 622 survivors of gender-
based violence stranded on the Greek islands; around 30% of the
violence occurred after the person arrived in Greece and 80% of
survivors who reported violence in country during the second half of
the year were female.
Alarming though these figures are, the truth is likely even worse, as
sexual violence is hugely underreported for a number of reasons.
Many women and organizations supporting them told Amnesty
International that women are reluctant to come forward with formal
complaints due to social stigma, fear of reprisal from perpetrators,
lack of trust in the protection system or because they believe that they
will be stuck in Greece if they report the violence.
Insufficient resources and specialized staff in camps also means that
survivors of gender-based violence are not identified and therefore not
provided with the protection they need.
In June 2017, various Greek authorities at the national and local
levels signed a protocol to coordinate the protection of refugees and
asylum-seekers who are survivors of gender-based violence. The
measure includes the coordination of referrals to the 40 women’s
counselling centres and the 21 state-run shelters for all women
survivors of violence across the country, including Greek citizens.
However, the impact of the protocol remains very limited. One of
the problems is that Greek shelters are not always equipped with
interpreters and the necessary services to support uprooted women.
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AVA’S STORY
Ava*, a young woman from Afghanistan, sought help after enduring physical
and psychological abuse at the hands of her partner in the camps and in
a flat. She spent 10 months in two different shelters. She told Amnesty
International:
“It took me some months to talk about the terror I was facing. Finally, I
opened up to the psychologist of Solidarity Now [a Greek NGO} and I moved
to a shelter with my daughter. I feel better because I’m free from my
husband but life here is very difficult… Interpreters only came once or
twice a week for specific hours. I had to use Google Translate to get help.”
Shelters can be a lifesaver for women enduring physical and psychological
violence. But for uprooted women such as Ava it can also increase their sense
of isolation with no friends around and little to do:
“In the first shelter, I felt I was in a prison. I couldn’t do anything and there
was no place for my kid to play.”
Ava was moved to a second shelter after her husband found out where she
was. She told Amnesty International:
“The shelter was much better. The social worker is very nice and is telling
me about the courses and services. Still no interpreters but my English is
getting better now and I suffer a bit less.”
After 10 months in shelters Ava was asked to leave, putting her under
enormous pressure as she and her daughter tried to recover and find some
stability in their lives. She is now sharing a flat with an Afghan woman but
finds the system very difficult to navigate and worries for other survivors of
violence who are seeking safety.
“I managed to find something but what about others? The same day as me a
woman with three children was also asked to leave. What is she going to do?
I’m still worried about her.”
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EUROPEAN RULES TEAR FAMILIES APART
AND EXACERBATE THE RISKS WOMEN FACE
European governments are closing their eyes to the suffering of
thousands of people who reach Greek shores in search of a place of
safety.
The majority will remain in Greece as European asylum rules – the so-
called Dublin Regulation – set out that asylum-seekers must apply for
asylum in the country where they first arrive. Greece, as the country of
first arrival, bears the responsibility of assisting and protecting them, with
only few exceptions.
Family reunification is almost the only way people can move safely from
Greece to another European country. However, it is severely restricted:
asylum-seekers can only reunify with their nuclear family members:
spouses, children, or in the case of unaccompanied minors, other
relatives in other EU countries.
Women travelling alone or with children account for most of the people
waiting to be reunited with relatives in other countries. There are also
families stranded in Greece hoping to join their children who travelled
alone to other European destinations. Many have been stranded for over
a year.
Since 2016, European countries, mainly Germany, have received over
14,300 reunification requests from Greece and around 12,500 have
been accepted. Reunions have happened in around 9,200 cases.
Women recounted how the prolonged separation combined with little
or no information on the process are impacting on their mental health,
exacerbating their anxiety and depression.
Moreover, the definition of “family” in EU law is restricted to members
of the nuclear family. Exceptions to the definition, such as reunification
on humanitarian or dependency grounds, are not always accepted. This
means that, for instance, elderly women or women survivors of violence
with extended family links in other countries are at serious risk of being
left behind in Greece.
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GOLROZ’ STORY
Golroz is from Afghanistan and
has been stranded in Greece
since February 2016 with
three of her four children, her
husband, her aunt and a young
niece. She spoke to Amnesty
International in May 2017 and
July 2018. Her older son lives in
Germany.
“I think of him every day.”
When Germany accepted her
family reunification request in
mid-2017 she was relieved. But
her 65-year-old aunt, known
as Bibi, would have to stay in
Greece because only the direct
family members and Golroz’s
young niece had been accepted.
When Amnesty International met Golroz and her family
in July 2018, they were preparing to go to Germany.
Here they are pictured doing their German homework.
Bibi is like a second mother to Golroz. They lived together in Afghanistan after Bibi’s
four sons were killed. Golroz could not leave her behind when the family decided to
embark on the perilous trip to Europe in search of safety. In Greece, they supported
each other in the harsh conditions of the camps, including sleeping in a tent outside
the terminal of the unused airport in Athens for several months.
With the help of a lawyer from a Greek NGO, the decision has been appealed twice.
The family appealed on the basis of Bibi’s age, the strong family links, her dependency
and her health: Bibi has been diagnosed with Hepatitis B, Osteoporosis, Otitis and has
cataracts. But the appeals have been rejected.
Amnesty International met the family in Thiva and Elliniko camps in 2017 and in their
flat in Athens in July 2018. In the city they were attending German lessons, preparing
to start a new life in Germany.
“We do lessons every day. It’s difficult with the children. We take turns with my
husband so I can study a bit.”
She still can’t believe Bibi won’t be travelling with them.
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©
Lene Christensen/Amnesty International
SAFE HAVENS,
PARTICIPATION AND
EMPOWERMENT
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“I want to go somewhere I can
build a future for my children...”
Layla*, a mother of two in Skaramagas camp
“I want to be independent. I have two
children, I have to think about them.”
Amara*, living in a flat in Athens
“I want to work after I learn the language.”
Aisha*, living in a flat in Athens with her daughter
and her mother
WOMEN AS DECISION-MAKERS
Despite the challenges, setbacks and uncertainty, many women
continue to strive, with remarkable resilience and determination, to
influence their situation, to take back some control over their lives.
It is vital that women are involved in decisions affecting their lives. To
arrive at decisions that effectively protect their rights, women must be
consulted and given the opportunity to inform the relevant authorities
of their needs.
Yasaman from Iran works as an
interpreter for the Melissa Network.
The photo is taken May 2017.
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Sadly, such consultations rarely happen. As a result, crucial
information is missing when decisions are made and the specific help
and assistance women and girls so urgently need are not forthcoming.
The women Amnesty International interviewed wanted to contribute
outside of their work in the home; they wanted to learn new skills, be
able to participate more in society and live independently. Women
need the opportunity and support to claim their rights and express
their needs. Few are in a position to do so without being provided with
the or female interpreters. Because many women are frequently the
primary care givers for their families and are therefore busy looking
after and protecting their dependants, without childcare services
many are unable to attend meetings or training sessions. Such
services are also crucial for any integration process.
In July 2018, the Greek authorities published a new national strategy
for integration. This includes the aim to ensure that migrant and
asylum-seeking women who enter the country irregularly have access
to the regular labour market and “to basic services and goods”. For
this strategy to be successfully implemented, women themselves
must be consulted and listened to.
Several of the women Amnesty International spoke to wanted to
settle down in Greece. For some of them, memories of the journey
to Greece are still too vivid; they don’t want to risk any further travel
and hope to restart their lives in the country. For others, despite the
challenges of finding a job in a country battered by a deep financial
crisis, the kindness and solidarity of Greek people give them hope for
the future:
“When we arrived in Greece the idea was to go
to a different country. But this was before we met
the Greek people. We value how they are treating
us, and now we would like to stay.”
Soraya, a young woman from Afghanistan living in Athens with
her husband and three children, July, 2018
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WOMEN-ONLY CENTRES OFFER
LIFE-CHANGING SUPPORT
Centres for uprooted women only, both on the islands and on the
mainland, offer life-changing support and services for many people.
These centres are often set up by women and local grassroots
organizations, and respecting women’s agency and providing
interventions and activities that empower them are at their core.
Centres provide a range of services that can help women to rebuild
their lives, including psychological and legal support and classes
to acquire language and other key skills. They also provide crucial
information on sexual and reproductive health. Such centres can act
as a bulwark against isolation in the camps and flats.
Women-only community centres and other spaces where women can
gather safely play an important role in helping them adjust to their
new lives in an unfamiliar environment; to learn from one another on
how to navigate the complex reception system and where to get help;
and to establish new support networks.
“Such a simple thing as being greeted properly,
looked in the eye and seen as a human being.”
Mary*, from Gabon, describing the importance of such a
centre, July, 2018
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THE MELISSA NETWORK –“A PLACE OF HAPPINESS”
The Melissa Network, a day centre in Central Athens, was set up by Greek and non-Greek
women to offer a safe haven for women trying to make a new life in a new country. It is run
by a network of migrant and asylum-seeking women and provides workshops and courses
for other uprooted women. Their main goal is to empower women to take control over their
own lives.
“I came to Melissa to learn the language. For me,
Melissa is a place of happiness.”
Zahra*, who fled Iraq with her family
“The whole point was to use it as a metaphor [Melissa means honey bee in Greek] for
migrant women coming to Greece from all over the world, bringing in stories of suffering
and separation but also ideas, skills, talents and hopes for the future and all the things
that they contribute to the weaving of the social fabric in this society.”
Nadina Christopoulou, a Greek anthropologist and
one of the co-founders of the Melissa Network
At the Melissa Network in Athens,
July 2018. Founder Nadina creates a safe
and welcoming atmosphere, a break from
the otherwise harsh realities of life.
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©
Lene Christensen/Amnesty International
Photo taken at the Melissa
Network in Athens. July 2018
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On Lesvos, the Bashira refugee women’s centre offers a place to
relax, take a shower and make new friends – an essential break from
the daily hardship of the camp. Sonia Andreu Barradas, the manager
of the centre, described how women are often very reserved when
they first arrive.
“After a while they understand that they are safe there and open
up. It becomes the place where they cry, laugh and dance.”
Bashira also organizes legal, psychological, social, health
services, language support classes, arts and crafts
On Chios, the organization Action for Women runs the Athena
Centre which has offered psychological, legal and medical
support to more than 600 uprooted women since it opened
in July 2016. Its founder, Gabrielle Tan, has spoken to the
women who have come to the Centre about their hopes and
dreams. She told Amnesty International:
“These women never saw themselves as victims. Rightly so: they are
survivors. They just needed resources and a stable environment, to
rebuild and transition into a new chapter.”
Women-only centres and similar safe spaces bring women together so
they can share experiences and form crucial friendships.
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“We are like sisters”
A year ago, Farahnaz and Mohzgan from Afghanistan met at the Melissa
Network in Athens.
Mohzgan told Amnesty International:
“When Farahnaz feels sad, I try to make her happy.
I empathize with her. We are like sisters.”
Access to such support centres enables women not only to help themselves but
to go on to help others.
“To me, Melissa is like a mother to a baby that can’t walk. They took my hand
and helped me to walk… I want to do good things. I want to teach women that
they are not weak. That I have learned here at Melissa.”
Farahnaz, July 2018.
Bashira Centre,
Lesvos, March 2018.
©
Yara Boff Tonella/Amnesty International
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SORAYA’S STORY
On 12 March 2016 Soraya, a 24-year-
old Afghan mother of three, arrived on
Chios with her family after a strenuous
journey that included the dangerous
sea crossing from Turkey. The images
of her son shaking with fear and
retching in the small rubber dinghy
are forever seared into her memory.
©
Lene Christensen/Amnesty International
“Always I say ‘bravo!’ to myself for
passing that sea, because I wanted
to make a better future for my
children.”
After several months living in
makeshift conditions, the family were
moved to a flat in Athens. That was
when Soraya’s friends told her about
the Melissa Network. Going regularly
to the centre has empowered her to
stand up for herself. She told Amnesty
International she is not afraid to
talk openly about women’s rights,
something that would have been
unthinkable for her before.
Soraya from Afghanistan.
“Women have rights. I want to decide about my future. The most important thing is
to achieve this and for men to understand this too… As women, we have to fight to
achieve our rights, for us and for our children. My dream for myself and for all women
is to have the freedom to make our own decisions.”
Now Soraya is hoping to start a new life in Greece with her husband and children. She
is amazed by the warm welcome they have received from local Greek people and she is
eager to learn the language.
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FIROOZA’S STORY
Being part of a strong women’s
network made all the difference
to 33-year-old Firooza from
Afghanistan. She came to the Greek
island of Chios from Turkey with her
husband and four children. After
a month on the island, she hid in
a hotel to escape her husband’s
beatings. Terrified, she did not dare
to speak to anyone. Then a woman
from the Athena Centre for women on
Chios came to see her.
© Monica Costa/Amnesty International
“She told me that I deserve a better
life. She used to come and pick me
up from the hotel.”
At the Athena Centre, Firooza
was able to share her story and
her hopes with other women in
similar situations. She talked to
a psychologist and got help with
organizing various appointments for
the asylum process and to receive
medical assistance.
Firooza from Afghanistan is no longer afraid
to stand up for herself.
“On my own it would have been impossible with my state of mind.”
At the Athena Centre, she felt comfortable and safe enough to
start to study English. Now Firooza has custody of her children and
shares a flat with another single mother in Athens. Her aim is to get
a job and her own flat and be able to fully support herself and her
children.
“I am completely different now. I’m not afraid anymore.”
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©Lene Christensen/Amnesty International. 
WOMEN’S DEMANDS,
WOMEN’S RIGHTS
Women’s experiences in
Greece must be listened to
and acted upon.
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“As women, we need to fight
to achieve our rights.”
Soraya from Afghanistan. July 2018
Uprooted women and girls living in Greece have confronted fear,
uncertainty and violence. These resilient survivors are determined to
rebuild their lives.
These are the 10 overarching demands they are making. Their
fundamental rights are currently being violated, and those in power
should listen to their voices and act on their words.
The Greek authorities, in close coordination with non-governmental
and aid agencies have a key role to play in fulfilling the demands about
reception conditions and access to services and asylum in the country.
But other European governments also need to step up to their obligations
to provide women and girls with the protection they are entitled to.
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1. SUITABLE ACCOMMODATION.
Camps should be the exception and a temporary measure. Women
travelling alone or with children, survivors of violence, pregnant
women, new mothers and those who face persecution because
of their gender identity or sexual orientation, among other groups,
should be offered an alternative to camps from the moment they
arrive. Hygiene, sanitation, safety and security in reception centres
should urgently be improved.
2. STOP CONFINING PEOPLE ON THE ISLANDS.
The Greek authorities, supported by other EU governments and
the European Commission, should end the deliberate confinement
of asylum-seekers and migrants on the Greek islands and transfer
them to adequate accommodation on mainland Greece, taking into
account the particular risks facing women and girls. Ensure that
vulnerability assessments result in women and girls having access to
the specialized services they need.
3. PROTECT WOMEN AT RISK OF VIOLENCE.
Increase the number of appropriately trained staff in reception camps
and urban areas who can identify and prevent violence against
women. Ensure women at risk have information about and access
to shelters and ensure accommodation provided guarantees them
the security and stability necessary to recover and rebuild their lives.
Guarantee adequate counselling, medical assistance and legal aid.
4. MORE FEMALE INTERPRETERS AND STAFF.
Increase the number of female interpreters as well as medical,
psychological and social assistance staff in shelters, temporary
reception centres, urban settings and during the asylum process.
5. ACCESS TO INFORMATION.
Provide information about access to services, the asylum process and
emergency protection in languages people can understand.
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6. FULL ACCESS TO SERVICES.
Increase the capacity to offer mental health support to women and girls;
ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services in reception
centres, hospitals and clinics; and offer education and more language
opportunities to women and their children, considering women’s
childcare needs.
7. SUPPORT SAFE FEMALE ONLY SPACES.
Promote, fund and collaborate with community-based initiatives, set up
in consultation with women and girls, to empower women and help their
integration.
8. LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES.
Include women’s perspectives, skills and capacities in government plans
to increase employment options as part of an integration strategy for
refugees and migrants in the country.
9. WELCOME REFUGEES.
European leaders and institutions must open safe and legal routes to
Europe and offer alternatives to dangerous and irregular sea and land
journeys. They should also open legal options for travelling from Greece
to other European countries. A further urgent change that must be
made is to ensure faster and expanded family reunification options and
agreement on a fairer system to accept refugees reaching Europe’s
shores. Finally, no one seeking safety should be sent back to countries
where they are at risk of human rights violations, including gender-based
violence
10. FULL PARTICIPATION
Above all, women and girls know what is needed to ensure their safety
and a better future. Their meaningful involvement in consultations, plans
and measures that affect them is crucial to guarantee their success.
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Amnesty International
is a global movement
of more than 7 million people who campaign
for a world where human rights are enjoyed
by all.
Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the
rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and other international
human rights standards.
We are independent of any government,
political ideology, economic interest or religion
and are funded mainly by our membership
and public donations.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT
e:
[email protected]
t:
+44-20-74135500
f:
+44-20-79561157
e:
[email protected]
t:
+44-20-74135500
Index: EUR 25/9071/2018
www.amnesty.org
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