Humanitarian crisis facing migrants arriving on Greek islands

(Vatican Radio)  Human Rights Watch says thousands of migrants and asylum seekers arriving on Greece’s Aegean islands face appalling conditions and this humanitarian crisis is worsening each day. More than 1,000 migrants are arriving each day on these islands by boat from Turkey. The rights group said the local authorities are trying their best but given Greece’s severe financial woes, they are unable to ensure basic rights for these migrants who suffer inadequate food and water, severe overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. Eva Cossé is a specialist on Greece at Human Rights Watch and recently visited some of the Greek islands in question and spoke to a group of recently-arrived migrants.  She was interviewed by Susy Hodges.

Listen to the interview with Eva Cossé of Human Rights Watch: 

Cossé describes the “appalling” reception and detention conditions for these migrants as “a humanitarian crisis” and said the situation is worsening with each day that passes. She said the local authorities in these islands are trying their best but given Greece’s severe financial woes, they are unable to ensure the most basic obligations towards these migrants who suffer inadequate food and water, severe overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. Many of them have to sleep out in the open because of the overcrowding. 

Cossé said they were told over 90 percent of the migrants come from areas of conflict such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Eritrea and many migrants told them how they “escaped from the war” or “from atrocities” and they included girls who said they had had escaped from “forced marriages” in Afghanistan.