UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, urged for action to be taken to address the humanitarian needs of refugees and migrants on Samos island following the severe deterioration of their living conditions. The overcrowding at the Vathy Reception and Identification Centre (RIC), coupled with the bad weather on November 9, have created dire living conditions for several hundreds of people.
Those most affected are disabled and pregnant women. “The dire humanitarian situation of refugee and migrant men, women and children on Samos requires urgent action from all actors,” said Philippe Leclerc, UNHCR Representative in Greece.
At Vathy, 2,000 refugees and migrants are being held at a center whose official capacity is for only 850 people. Half of the people there have been stranded at the camp for weeks and months, living in small camping tents in the open. They have limited access to toilets and showers as well as facing security risks.
Many of these camping tents were completely flooded affecting up to 1,000 people. Dozens saw their humble and precious belongings destroyed. UNHCR directly assisted those affected and the authorities to cover the immediate needs by distributing blankets, plastic sheeting and other relief items.
The UNHCR has appealed to all those responsible to act swiftly so that adequate accommodation could be secured. “There is no reason why vulnerable people and children remain homeless or in appalling living conditions,” said Leclerc. UNHCR stands ready to assist with alternative short-term accommodation for families and vulnerable asylum-seekers, such as use of hotels at special rates, in close collaboration with local and central authorities, and trusts that it can continue to count on the local community’s support for urgently needed solutions. UNHCR appeals that hotels or other accommodation facilities be made available immediately for the most vulnerable persons that it has identified.
The UNHCR believes that efforts should be made to reduce the pressure from overcrowding on Samos. This includes full registration and transfers of more asylum-seekers to the mainland, in line with the conclusions reached at the October 11 meeting at the government’s headquarters in Athens.
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