Evita Bloemheuvel
Stichting Bootvluchtelingen (Lesvos and Samos)
Numbers are rising significantly the last weeks. The last months, since August, more than a thousand people have arrived, and compared to the months before, this is a lot more. In the period April Mai, some 50 to 60 people arrived each week, but last week alone 500 people arrived, was a peak, the numbers fluctuate, but it are now 50 to 100 people every day.
Why this surge? Not easy to say, partly because the weather conditions, it is still warm and calm, so it is more comfortable to cross, and safer as well.
But also because, in my opinion, the migration route from Lybia to Italy is as good as closed, because of stricter controles by thhe Lybian coast guard. So we see that more and more African people chose the route by Turkey to Greece. These are Africans …show more content…
In Samos, this is already the case. We are talking with all the parties involved to see to what extend our aid is still necessary, that the medical care would pass to the hands of the greek government at a certain point. Is still unclear, but the intention is there. On Samos there is a lot of talking, and there is a chance that the greek government will take over the medical care startin from January. But on Lesvos, this is not the case
The procedures are extremly slow, that has always been like that, but with a larger number of arrivals, this becomes a serious problem. I cannot say why it takes so long, but I hear stories from refugees that papers get lost, appoinments are cancelled whitout explanation.. We do hear rumours that personel get paid very little or too late, and that there are strikes from time to time. It looks like the organisation of the asylum procedure is deficient.
We do hope that at a certain point the government will take over our work in Lesvos, but I think it will take a long time. There are talks, but very little
Stichting Bootvluchtelingen (Lesvos and Samos)
Numbers are rising significantly the last weeks. The last months, since August, more than a thousand people have arrived, and compared to the months before, this is a lot more. In the period April Mai, some 50 to 60 people arrived each week, but last week alone 500 people arrived, was a peak, the numbers fluctuate, but it are now 50 to 100 people every day.
Why this surge? Not easy to say, partly because the weather conditions, it is still warm and calm, so it is more comfortable to cross, and safer as well.
But also because, in my opinion, the migration route from Lybia to Italy is as good as closed, because of stricter controles by thhe Lybian coast guard. So we see that more and more African people chose the route by Turkey to Greece. These are Africans …show more content…
In Samos, this is already the case. We are talking with all the parties involved to see to what extend our aid is still necessary, that the medical care would pass to the hands of the greek government at a certain point. Is still unclear, but the intention is there. On Samos there is a lot of talking, and there is a chance that the greek government will take over the medical care startin from January. But on Lesvos, this is not the case
The procedures are extremly slow, that has always been like that, but with a larger number of arrivals, this becomes a serious problem. I cannot say why it takes so long, but I hear stories from refugees that papers get lost, appoinments are cancelled whitout explanation.. We do hear rumours that personel get paid very little or too late, and that there are strikes from time to time. It looks like the organisation of the asylum procedure is deficient.
We do hope that at a certain point the government will take over our work in Lesvos, but I think it will take a long time. There are talks, but very little