Evidence of children’s rights abuses at Greek refugee camp

Published on 14-02-2017 at 11:42

A boy looks on behind a net at the refugee camp of Schisto in Athens, Greece, on June 8.

Eurochild member for Greece, the Network for Children’s Rights has published a new report on one of the country’s largest camps for refugees and asylum seekers, which highlights its poor living conditions and disregard for children’s rights, including incidents of abuse.

The Schisto camp is one of the largest in Greece with a capacity of 2000. The report finds that, because the camp is not close to or well-connected with the city centre, its residents are effectively ghettoised, making it very difficult for them to integrate with Greek society.

Insufficient, poor quality housing and sub-standard sanitary conditions are criticised in the report, as is the inadequacy and insufficiency of the low-grade food provided to residents..

Attacks and abuse

The Network for Children’s Rights’ report also raises concerns about safety, privacy and security issues for the women and children of the camp; several attacks and incidents of abuse towards women and children have been recorded. The report also finds that there is no proper educational programme, but only rudimentary tutoring inside the camp.

In terms of children’s rights, the report finds not only that these are not a priority for the camp, but that they do not feature at all in any stipulations about the living conditions of refugees.

The full report of the Network for Children’s Rights on the Schisto Camp can be read here.

Source: Eurochild
Photo: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images