UNHCR in Lesvos: “Greece needs support and resources from Europe to manage refugees crisis”
Vicky Bolaños — Published first on RTVE.es
- UNO refugees agency helps Greece from August
- Boris Cheshirkov, from UNHCR, urges EU to provide political and humanitarian solutions
- “The EU needs to invest to ensure that refugees arrive safely”
Greece is, since last year, the main entry point for refugees fleeing war zones such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, mainly, and migrants of other nationalities. Especially the island of Lesvos, which has an area of 1,634 km2 and a population of over 80,000 inhabitants, has received 517,000 people between January 2015 and January this year, according to UNHCR.
People arrive to Lesvos by the sea, most of them on rubber boats loaded much more than they should -have capacity to carry 20 people, but often they carry to 50 people between women, children and men.
Most of the refugees reach several points the north and south coast of the island, although it should be emphasized that in 2015 more than 3,700 people died in the Mediterranean, and 87 so far this January.
On the beaches, international and local volunteer teams watch day and night to help the upcoming boats when they have engine problems, the fuel runs out or boats adrift. They also wait at the beaches with dry clothes, water and some food.
Newcomers are required to register in Frontex database, the European organization that controls the borders. Their offices are settled in the refugee camp of Moria, located 9 kilometers away from Mytilene, Lesvos capital.
They go in buses operated by UNHCR -some months ago this journey was walking- and remain there from one day to an average of three days, depending on how many people is on the island. Large NGOs such us Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children or Samaritan’s Purse; small organizations and independent volunteers work on those areas.
UNHCR coordinator in Lesvos, Boris Cheshirkov spoke about the situation and contextualized the humanitarian refugee crisis in the island on 5 January in an interview in Mytilene.
Question. Which is UNHCR role nowadays in Lesvos?
Boris Cheshirkov. UNHCR has had a presence on Lesvos island in the last five years, although in 2015 the numbers of people arriving have been extraordinary. When it began to increase refugees arrivals a few months ago, we started sending teams to gather information.
It was around August when Greek government and the European Union formally invited us to work on Lesvos. Our role is giving support to the Greek government to improve the registration system and the conditions of the places in which they operate and to coordinate all the people working on the island. We have also provided 242 barracks shelter and blankets, among other emergency supplies.
Greece needs EU support and resources, we didn’t think that we had to work again in Europo. In some ways it is unacceptable, but we have been formally invited to help.
Q. Why after eight months of crisis Moria camp has so many gaps in coverage and barracks without light or heating?
B.C. The process to improve conditions in the camps seems slower than the needs, and the needs are huge. We have to work together, also voluntary groups, to ensure that there is a better system according to the available resources, and these things take time.
10 days ago there was no heating in Kara Tepe [another field of Lesvos, only for Syrian families], and now half of the barracks have. In Moria we have provided with heaters larger barracks. It would be better if it had heating throughout, but we must recognize that there are some limitations of resources and personnel. Greece has received more than 800,000 people in 2015; Christmas day alone there were 4,000 people in Moria.
UNHCR currently has 40 people on the ground doing 24-hour shifts. Covering the coast, fields of Moria and Kara Tepe, and North and South areas. If we had a thousand people working on the island, the situation would be much better than it is now.
Q. In Moria there aren’t information signs. For example, families do not know that they can go to a specific facility, the family compund, where they can rest in save rooms, have food and showers. Why?
B.C. In an ideal world, everything would be assembled and ready for a lot of people. Obviously, we are not yet in that situation. Improving things is the aim of the Greek government and everyone who is on the island.
You should have come five months ago, in summer there were people sleeping on the street. The improvements that have been made lately have been very significant. Now are arriving fewer refugees due to the bad weather and we have to use this time to prepare for the increase of people that we expect next spring. Everybody is working, it is important to support the government and give them assistance.
Q. How do you see from UNHCR humanitarian crisis in the European context?
B.C. There are more displaced people than ever in history, more than 60 million women, men, children and unaccompanied children by conflict and persecution worldwide. Tens of millions of people are forced to leave their homes and Syria is one of the most affected countries. In its fifth year at war, more than eleven million people have been displaced, of which four million are in neighboring countries, mainly Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. One million has entered Europe in 2015.
We have seen in the media and politicians saying that it is an immigration emergency, but in reality it is a refugee emergency. This must be recognized and care, because migrants migrate, but refugees are fleeing from conflict, persecution and violation of human rights.
Q. What do you think will happen in 2016? Will you continue arriving refugees to Lesvos?
B.C. The reasons people that made people coming to Europe in 2015 are still alive, sadly, conflicts continue. The international community is not able to meet and find a solution for peace. At the same time, countries hosting refugees as Lebanon and Jordan have not had the support they need.
We see more and more people on the streets begging, prostituting themselves to survive, the children stop going to school to work to help his family. It is a very difficult situation and often humanitarian aid is not arriving.
There must be a political solution, not only for Syria but for all countries with displaced people and support for countries receiving refugees should be increased. The EU needs to invest to ensure that refugees arrive safely rather than risk their lives in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers and human traffickers. These criminals are taking profit from refugees desperation and ignore human life completely.
