Every migrant and refugee has a story. InfoMigrants recently spoke to some people on the Greek island of Lesbos and heard their stories. Here are three such stories from migrants and refugees from different parts of the world.
When fleeing war becomes a regrettable decisionAfghan migrant Mujtaba Ramazani and his wife and two children arrived at the refugee camp in Moria in August. They have found life rather difficult at the camp which is locally also referred to as the ‘Hell for Refugees’. Mujtaba Ramazani told InfoMigrants, “There is no aid and the only thing that we have received is this tent we are living in.” Ramazani complained that the food which they get causes diarrhea in his children. “We went to the doctor who gave us some drops which didn’t help.”
While speaking to InfoMigrants, Mujtaba’s wife Maliha Sultani recalled how their boat was overloaded and sank in the Aegean Sea. “We spent more than 30 minutes in the water.” She added, “I was screaming and calling for help but no one helped us. My children were drowning in the water and their father was trying to rescue us, but the Turkish police didn’t allow him to do so.” Eventually, they were saved by an NGO. They claim that one of their children still has nightmares about the ordeal.
This Afghan family recently fled the war in Afghanistan, but due to the hardship they faced in their journey and the conditions at Moria, they are unhappy about their decision.
'If it wasn’t for Biryani, I wouldn’t be here'Palestinian refugee Walid Alwan may not have been alive to speak to InfoMigrants and tell his story had he not given into his love for Pakistani cuisine. It was a Sunday afternoon and Alwan got a call from a Pakistani friend who also lives inside the Moria Refugee Camp. His friend was hungry and invited Alwan for lunch as he had prepared ‘Biryani’ - an aromatic traditional Pakistani delicacy combining rice, spices and meat.
Alwan reluctantly left his ‘ISOBOX’ (container) but when he returned about an hour later, there was a huge fire in which his container was also affected. His initial reluctance suddenly changed into relief.
The Palestinian refugee lost his passport and other important documents in the fire. Since then, he has been trying in vain to follow the official procedure in such situations. Despite daily visits to the registration authorities, he has not yet managed to obtain documents or to get an alternate space to live. Walid Alwan told InfoMigrants that he now lives in a makeshift tent inside Moria.
The Palestinian refugee is unhappy with life in Moria. He wants to eventually go to any country in western Europe, but is unable to do so because he is registered in Greece and the Dublin regulation requires that his application is processed in the country he arrived in.
“I am here in Moria since February 2018 and every single day, I ask myself what am I doing here,” said Alwan. He told InfoMigrants that his frustration grows with each passing day. “I need to help myself and my family which is still in Gaza. Sitting here in a tent, I am unable to do anything,” he concluded.
How different life can be, just a few kilometers
awayAlina Ali is from Quetta, Pakistan and she belongs to the Hazara Shia community. Along with other religious minority groups, Shia Muslims are regularly targeted in Pakistan, especially in the Baluchistan province from where Alina comes.
Alina lives with three sisters in the Kara Tepe refugee camp, which is located just a few kilometers from the infamous Moria camp on Lesbos. “The food, hygiene, health and transport, just about everything is much better in Kara Tepe in comparison to Moria,” Alina claims. She is a regular visitor of the Moria camp because the main registration office is loacted there and all the refugees on the island need to get their documents processed from there.
“Shia men are not safe in Pakistan, let alone women. When our father and brothers used to go out for work in the morning, we used to pray for their return every day,” said Alina.
She told InfoMigrants that a woman has absolutely no freedom in the
conservative parts of Pakistan. Only after coming to Greece, she and her sisters
found out that a woman can have a life. Alina is one of the very few people
InfoMigrants met in Lesbos who are content and happy with life there.