The refugee camps in Greece are hopelessly overcrowded. Many refugees are sick and traumatized and government agencies overtaxed. The situation is particularly difficult for unaccompanied minors. The number of suicides is increasing.
A lack of hygiene, violence, sexual harassment, no prospects: these are the conditions under which three times as many refugees as originally planned live in the camp on Samos. And, even though the Balkan route is closed, new refugees are still coming every day.
They cannot leave the island. The number of suicides is rising. The UNHCR says asylum applications should be examined more quickly and unaccompanied, underage refugees taken to the mainland to rejoin their families as soon as possible.
Aid workers say they have never experienced conditions like the ones in the Greek refugee camps during their previous missions around the world.
Only private aid organizations can bring hope. Some young people manage to escape to Athens. They hope to be able to leave Greece more easily from there. But many of them remain stuck in the city, begging – and in some cases, even resorting to prostitution to get by.
Watch the full documentary by DW Documentary.
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