The UN refugee agency UNHCR has issued a call to Greek authorities to speed up their preparations for winter in state-run migrant camps on the Aegean islands.
A recent spike in new arrivals of refugees and migrants coming from Turkey has created a tense atmosphere at many of the already overcrowded and deteriorating camps and reception facilities.The onset of winter is set to bring rainy and cold weather to the region and the UNHCR has issued a call to Greek authorities to speed up their preparations for winter worrying about lives being unnecessarily put at risk.
"The UNHCR urges action on the islands to ease overcrowding, improve shelter, and stock and distribute appropriate and sufficient aid items," said Philippe Leclerc, UNHCR Representative in Greece.
5,000 new arrivals in September
The increasingly poor living conditions at many camps have been constantly criticized by human rights groups, particularly in the Eastern Aegean on the islands of Chios, Lesvos and Samos, which have borne the brunt of the ongoing crisis. The situation has not been helped with the arrival of close to 5,000 refugees and migrants in September alone.
"The recent rise in arrivals has further strained Greece's hosting capacity on the islands; the situation is particularly critical at the Reception and Identification Centres, or 'hotspots,' on Samos and Lesvos islands, where 7,000 refugees and migrants are crammed into a combined space for 2,000," added Leclerc.
According to UNHCR data, arrivals by sea to Greece has reached 20,000 - the majority of which were from Syrian or Iraqi. And over half of that number arrived since July, mostly comprised of families or other vulnerable groups.
HRW challenges government over Lesvos
At the Moria hotspot on Lesvos, more than 1,500 people are staying in makeshift tents with no proper insulation, flooring or heating units. Many of the people there are families, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and young children, according to the UNHCR. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has already challenged the government in Parliament this week over conditions at Moria. The organization's researcher for Greece, Eva Cosse, said: "European officials are unfortunately washing their hands of the problem; they don't care about the situation of refugees in Greece."
Last winter, snow and freezing temperatures caused many refugees to suffer without adequate shelter or heating. Just last month the Lesvos mayor, Spyros Galinos, sent an open letter to the European Commission and the Greek government, pleading with the government to act after a huge spike in migrants arriving on the island's shores. The majority of the later summer and early autumn arrivals have landed on Lesvos, and camps on the island are now massively overcrowded with over 6,000 in total currently staying there.