This picture shows a refugee child lying on the floor in a refugee camp in Greece. According to the NGO Save the Children, depression is rising among children in migrant camps in Greece. In a worrying report the NGO states that children are inflicting self harm on themselves, attempting suicide and using drugs to deal with desperate conditions.
"The mental health [of many children] is deteriorating rapidly", a staff-member states. The NGO reports the case of a 12-year-old boy filming his suicide attempt after seeing others trying to end their lives. The conditions in the packed camps are described as "degrading and detention-like," forcing asylum-seekers to battle for basic necessities such as blankets, a dry place to sleep, food, warm water and access to basic healthcare.
The report comes one year after the European Union struck a deal with Turkey to stem the influx of refugees to the Greek islands. In 2015, over a million refugees and migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries managed to reach Europe, crossing over to the Greek islands in the Aegean from Turkey. The flow has indeed been stemmed significantly in recent months since the EU-Ankara deal came into effect on March 20, 2016. Under the conditions of the deal, any person who enters Greece without documents can be deported to Turkey unless they qualify for asylum in Greece. Because of the huge backlog, however, long asylum procedures are even more delayed. This has left around 14,000 asylum seekers stranded in various camps on five Greek islands which are overflowing.
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