A popular holiday destination for many Europeans, the Greek island Lesvos is also the gateway to the European Union for many refugees and migrants. In 2015, during the height of the influx, several thousand people landed on the island’s beaches on a daily basis. However, back then, Lesvos was an island of transit from Turkey to the Greek mainland and other European countries. Today, following EU’s heavily-criticised deal with Turkey and policies of containment, more than 10 000 refugees, the majority from war-torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, are trapped in precarious conditions on the island, while waiting out their asylum claims. Crucially, what is happening on Lesvos is a not merely or primarily a result of the inefficiency and mismanagement of the Greek asylum system, but rather a direct result of European countries’ hardening stance toward people fleeing war, persecution and poverty.
Inni hver flyktning er det en person
Landet mitt føles plutselig som en tragedie, som et stort Titanic skip. Du sitter i en redningsbåt med 9 andre mennesker, vitende om at båten tar inntil tretti mennesker, men du nekter å snu båten, så det ender med at du blir sittende og se på din familie mens du holder pusten.
What explains the unequal distribution of refugees in the world?
A startling 65,5 million people are forcefully displaced worldwide, many of whom lose their lives when embarking on a journey to Europe’s shores. Today, more than 86% of the world’s refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries. So, the poorest countries in the world take in the most refugees. Have you ever wondered why that is?
Angrep mot demonstranter på Lesvos
Rosie Haliwell rapporterer fra Lesvos:
Søndag 22. april samlet rundt 200 afghanske flyktninger seg til en fredelig demonstrasjon i Lesvos. Flyktningene hadde samlet seg ved Sappho plassen siden forrige tirsdag, men ble ofre for et uprovosert, brutalt og rasistisk angrep i løpet av natten.
Emira’s story
Emira is a resident of Nea Kavala Refugee camp. She has been living here for nearly one year. It has been close to two years since she made the journey across the waters from Turkey to Greece with her four young sons, Mohammed, Hamed, Hassan and Rhudi.