German minister: Conditions on Greek island camps are a disgrace to Europe
Tens of thousands of people are living in camps that can accommodate up to 3,000 people. The German Minister for Development Aid, visiting the Lesbos and Moria camps, called the population density and standard of living of the refugees shameful.
Gerd Müller, the German Minister for Development Aid, has witnessed the inhumane conditions of thousands of refugees during a trip to the islands of Lesbos and Moria. He has seen with his own eyes how 20,000 children, women and men are crammed together in one of these camps in an environment lacking even the most basic amenities.
Mueller called the conditions in these camps "shameful" and called for support for the camp residents and for their human rights to be guaranteed. He said that transferring the children to European countries was not an option for them.
The camps on the Greek islands were originally built to accommodate 3,000 people. Now, seven times that number are spending their days and nights in them, without meeting the minimum UN standards for their cabins, tents and toilets. This situation has become unbearable, especially during the coronavirus outbreak.
A UNICEF staff member in Bonn described the disastrous sanitary conditions in Moria: "There is one shower for every 500 people in this camp and one toilet for every 160 people."
Previously, a group of refugees residing in these camps had described the inhumane conditions in letters to the German Chancellor and the President of the European Commission, calling on both to intervene.
A total of ten EU countries have announced their readiness to accept around 1,600 unaccompanied minors from the Greek camps. The German government has agreed to host 350 unaccompanied minors. France and Portugal have set their quotas at 300 and 250 respectively. Finland, Bulgaria, Ireland and Luxembourg are also among the receiving countries. Fifteen days ago, in the first step, 47 children and adolescents from the islands of Lesbos and Morea arrived in Germany, whose quarantine period ended on Monday, May 4.
Transferring children is not the solution.
The Rheinische Post newspaper quotes the German Minister of Development Aid as saying: "Our duty is to help everyone in the camps. It is a shame that such a situation exists right in the middle of Europe."
Gerd Müller reminded that emptying the Greek camps of children is not the solution: "It is absolutely necessary that small units be built in these camps in accordance with UN standards and with respect for human dignity."
The date for the next round of minors to be transferred to Germany is still unknown. "Berlin is waiting for other European countries to fulfill their commitments in this regard," says Thorsten Frei, deputy head of the health group in the German parliament. "Before that, there will be no new admissions from Greece." He has warned against accepting refugees on a large scale, saying: "Only those who are in the most urgent situation should be transferred; otherwise, the readiness to host them will be weakened."
Torsten Frei has warned that unaccounted admissions could also be an incentive for new migration.
The EU's refugee commissioner has previously said that the transfer of unaccompanied refugees from the Greek islands is an act of human solidarity in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. They are not orphans but have been forced to leave their homes alone.
Meanwhile, the SOS Children's Aid organization in Germany has criticized the country's ability to accommodate 350 unaccompanied children, saying that the country's resources do not allow for such a quota. A spokesperson for the organization says: "We can provide 50 to 100 places for these children on our own, and if necessary, we can help with more."
The Greek island of Lesbos is known as a refugee hell, and Germany's move to accept 47 children has been described as "a drop of water on a burning rock."
Source: DW
