{"id":6467,"date":"2019-11-01T10:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T07:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/?p=6467"},"modified":"2019-11-02T01:53:44","modified_gmt":"2019-11-01T22:53:44","slug":"refugees-transferred-to-corinth-transit-camp-are-left-in-precarious-limbo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rsaegean.org\/en\/refugees-transferred-to-corinth-transit-camp-are-left-in-precarious-limbo\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cNeither here, nor there\u201d | Refugees transferred to Corinth transit camp are left in precarious limbo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Refugees talk vividly about the bleak conditions in a new transit refugee camp near Corinth in mainland Greece that the conservative government opened last August. At the time of Refugee Support Aegean\u2019s (RSA\u2019s) research in mid-October, the camp\u2019s population consisted of over 600 individuals mainly including dozens of families with children transferred there in mid-September following their eviction from four refugee squats in central Athens as well as highly vulnerable asylum-seekers from the overcrowded Aegean islands. RSA spoke with 10 refugee families[1]<\/a><\/sup> residing in the camp including pregnant women and individuals with mental health issues or chronic conditions and parents of young children and\/or newborn babies. They described very poor and unsafe reception conditions. As the period of their stay in the camp is unclear and the camp has a transitory character, they find themselves in a precarious limbo.<\/em><\/strong><\/blockquote><\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]On 13 September 2019, a new refugee accommodation site (camp) was opened following an announcement by the recently elected government at the end of August. The camp was opened in the site of the Corinth former military camp and its reported official capacity is for 672 persons. The camp is managed by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) while \u2013 similar to the majority of refugee camps on the mainland – it has not formally been established as a site. Practically, it is being used as a transit<\/a> camp from where asylum-seekers are distributed to other sites in the mainland or to ESTIA flats.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column el_id=”2″][vc_column_text]A camp not ready to run and distant from essential services<\/strong><\/p>\n

In early September, during a meeting<\/a> with the Corinth mayor and other local politicians, the Minister of Citizen Protection announced the transfer of Afghan families from the islands to Corinth camp for the purpose of decongesting the hotspots. He also announced the establishment of a clinic inside the camp. However, until now, the camp\u2019s residents including pregnant women, parents of newborns and sick persons describe how they have been forced to seek the necessary medical assistance outside the camp, often without the assistance of an interpreter. The local hospital is 2,5 km away<\/a> and more specialized clinics such as a children\u2019s clinic<\/a> can be found in Athens or Patras. Both cities are over 100 km away and travel costs can be prohibitive[2]<\/a><\/sup>. Some said that they did not receive the necessary treatment as a result. For those without a social security number (AMKA), free access to public healthcare and medicines is particularly difficult due to the serious bureaucratic obstacles that increased following the withdrawal of a Circular<\/a> by the Minister of Labor in July 2019. Access to other crucial services such as the Regional Asylum Offices of Patras or Athens is also difficult in view of the distance and the expenses.[\/vc_column_text]

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