A.N., a young woman from Burundi, was recently granted asylum in Greece. However, her struggle continues. She is suing Frontex, for the first time in the history of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, for complicity in two pushback incidents that she claims preceded her asylum. The case is co-signed by an unaccompanied minor from the Democratic Republic of the Congo – who claims that he has been pushed backed to Turkey three times, where he currently remains.
Migrant people stranded at the Bosnian border wait for the right moment to try their hand at the “game”. Normally they must try multiple times due to violent pushbacks by border forces.
They are probably the first and only doctors to examine young refugees who arrive in Athens. The pediatricians Stavroula Dikalioti and Smaragda Papachristidou – due to their efforts and personal interest – have managed to facilitate the refugees’ access to public health, which is provided at no cost, but remains a complicated maze to navigate.
They flee their countries because of violence and persecution. Once in Europe, they face discrimination again. “We have been repeating that for years: the camps are not a safe place for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers.”
A new refugee camp on Samos is almost ready. Nobody knows if it will be an open or a closed facility. One thing is for sure, though: the prospect of confinement in the middle of nowhere leads to the deterioration of asylum seekers’ mental health.
Diana Takacsova’s photography stresses the role of the essential workers who are frequently trapped outside the formal system, juxtaposing it with the intensified land use and the inadequate living and labour conditions present in the Alentejo region.
Up to 10,000 migrant agricultural workers live in makeshift camps in the strawberry fields of Ilia, which produce the “red gold” that generates tens of millions of euros in exports. While the Greek state remains indifferent, the number of workers is expected to increase, as production is projected to skyrocket by 2025, covering approximately 6,200 acres.
A photo essay by Thodoris Nikolaou
During her recent visit to Greece, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson made assurances that new reception centers on the Aegean islands would not be closed facilities. However, the reconfiguration of existing camps on the mainland into closed facilities are progressing at a rapid pace − and the authorities involved are pointing fingers at each other.
