Lesvos Greece: Realistic Conditions
This exhibit now takes you to Lesvos, Greece, a small island in the Northeastern Aegean sea, off the coast of Turkey. It is because of its close proximity to Turkey that this is one of the main hubs for receiving refugees. To give a brief background of Lesvos’ connection to refugees, this small island which houses roughly 150,000 individuals, faced a crisis in 2015 when an influx of roughly one million people sought refuge here.
Part of my reasoning for selecting this island is because of the month-long Study Abroad program that I participated in during the summer of 2022. Throughout this month, I spent time volunteering at three different non-profit organizations: When We Band Together, Iliaktida, and Europe Cares. At each of these organizations, we spent time with refugees teaching English, aiding in psychological care, providing child care whilst mothers honed in on various crafts, and cleaning up the living environments of minors.
Prior to this page, you have been given statistical and quantitative information about what it is like to be a refugee. In this page you will pair what you have learned with qualitative information to now paint a full and realistic picture of their livelihoods.
INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT:
It was during my time in Greece that I met Boye, a refugee from Ghana who was forced to flee his home in 2016, alone. This article details some of the trials and tribulations that he endured during his trek. He encountered forced labor, sexual assault, starvation, dehydration and much more.
Everyone’s story is different and this is just one account of what life can look like as a refugee fleeing one’s country. Although there is much more to the story of Boye, I have chosen to share this as it gives a brief illustration of one realistic scenario.
MORIA REFUGEE CAMP:
One may wonder where do refugees go once they arrive in a new country? The answer can differ; however, considering most are seeking shelter, they find themselves in a refugee camp. The purpose of a refugee camp is to provide temporary immediate assistance and solace for those that have fled their native countries. Although that may seem nice in theory, most camps are unsuitable for an individual as they are overcrowded and under resourced.
In Greece, for example, during the climax of the refugee crisis, a camp called Moria was where most were placed. This camp was known as Europe's largest and most notorious camp. Doctors Without Borders (2018), a non-profit organization providing medical care, outlined that this shelter that was supposed to accommodate roughly 6,000-7,000 people, housed approximately 20,000. Considering the barbed wire fencing and its limited freedoms, it was described as an open air jail, a place that elicited countless incidences of violence, deprivation, disease, and overall chaos. In 2020, Moria was burned to the ground, leaving the 12,000 people living there at the time on the streets with no shelter and no sense of safety. The aftermath of this fire and the conviction of six inmates for the accounts of arson, Greece turned to more prison-like camps, further criminalizing these individuals.
To give an understanding of the overcrowdedness: “there are 72 people per functioning toilet and 84 people per functioning shower” (Medecins Sans Frontieres, 2018)
REFERENCES
Donovan, L. 2021. "Refugee student in Greece has 'all the motivation to succeed' in his dream to become a doctor and help those who need it most." UNHCR Greece.
Medecins Sans Frontieres. 2018. "Confinement, violence and chaos: How a European refugee camp is traumatizing people on Lesbos: MSF." Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International.