Two German parties are at loggerheads over how to deal with overcrowded migrant camps in Greece. The Greens are urging the government to come to the aid of 4,000 children, while the CDU said it is “not a solution.”
Migrant children help clear up rubbish at a refugee camp after a heavy bout of rain on the island of Chios in December
Germany’s interior ministry on Sunday rejected calls to grant asylum to refugee children currently living at overcrowded camps on the Greek islands.
Christian Democrat (CDU) Günter Krings, who also serves as parliamentary undersecretary in the interior ministry, responded to the Greens’ demand to aid thousands of children who are currently residing in the camps off the Turkish coast.
Read more: Greece plans stricter refugee course
Krings told regional newspaper Rheinische Post that “unilateral admission campaigns for certain groups are not a solution.”
Green party leader Robert Habeck had asked the Berlin government to bring thousands of migrants from the Greek camps to Germany.
“Get the kids out first,” Habeck told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
Roughly 4,000 children, including “many girls, many fragile little people,” are in need of urgent help and it is a “requirement of humanity,” he insisted.
Other ideas on how to tackle the problem
Krings, though, had a very different take on proceedings as he emphasized that helping from a distance was a more appropriate measure. The CDU lawmaker added that the acceptance of children by Germany would “bypass all European legal rules.”
“And for the vast majority of people, they would not change the unacceptable conditions on-site,” he added.
Read more: What Germany’s post-war refugees taught us about integration
The MEP Stephan Mayer (CSU) expressed similar sentiments. “If Germany went it alone at the moment, the other EU countries would avoid their responsibility,” Mayer told the newspapers of the Editor Network Germany (RND).
For the admission of unaccompanied minors, the interior ministry is looking for a unified “solution at European level” and are making efforts in close collaboration with the European Commission to help solve the issue.
Just last week Greece said it expects a further influx of asylum seekers in 2020, predicting up to 100,000 may arrive on its islands from Turkey in the coming year.
Stuck on the Aegean
European funding for NGOs responding to the migrant crisis on the Greek islands came to an end in August. Since then the Greek state alone has been responsible for dealing with the asylum-seekers. But there was no clear transition plan, and gaps in humanitarian services have become apparent throughout Lesbos
Neither here nor there
Moria, the main reception facility in Lesbos, and other such camps are unable to cope with the continuing arrivals of small numbers of asylum-seekers. Tensions are high; frustration quickly turns into aggression, fights between individuals morph into fights between different ethnic groups.
Fresh and clean
Discarded shampoo and water bottles lie next to an improvised shower outside Moria. Due to a shortage of hygienic facilities in the camp, many people there look for other options. They see the failure to provide adequate facilities as a deliberate strategy to worsen living conditions.
Waiting for a decision
Aman from Eritrea apologizes for not being able to offer tea or water in his tent. He has been waiting for a decision on his asylum request since he arrived in Lesbos three months ago. “There are too many problems inside Moria.” Overcrowded shelters and tensions between different groups often results into fights.
‘We are human’
An Afghan asylum-seeker prepares signs for a protest against the poor conditions in Moria. Most of the Afghans protesting have been on Lesbos for over a year and are still waiting for a response to their asylum bids. Lack of information, tough living conditions and the fear of being deported back to Afghanistan leave many of them in a constant state of anxiety.
The limits of generosity
Residents of Lesbos discuss the Afghans’ protest. The refugee crisis has led to a massive decline in tourism on Lesbos, down by almost 75 percent this year compared to 2015. Greece’s ongoing economic crisis has also had a great impact on the island. Although many locals are sympathetic to the asylum-seeker’s needs, they don’t think Greece is capable of hosting them right now.
Two weeks against helplessness
Volunteers have been filling gaps, such as providing health care, which is in great demand. German doctor Juta Meiwald came to Lesbos for two weeks to help. She says many of the health problems are a result of the living conditions at Moria. Those in the camps have complained that, regardless of their afflictions, doctors there generally just give them painkillers.
Reclaiming life
At the Mosaik Support Center asylum-seekers transform life vests collected on the beach into bags and wallets. Activities like this are a welcome interruption to the monotony of life in the camps, in addition to giving those stuck here, like this Iranian woman, a small income.
New arrivals every day
Since early 2015, new arrivals have been obliged to stay on the island until their asylum claims are processed. But a backlog of applications and a lengthy appeals process have meant only a fraction of cases have been assessed. Over 14,000 migrants arrived in Greece this year, according to the UN refugee agency. Last year Greece granted asylum to around 12,500 people, while 173,000 came.
Author: Vincent Haiges (Lesbos)
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