Policy Brief by Anna Triandafyllidou
Professor, European University Institute, Florence, Italy
Member of Board of Directors, Solidarity Now

The Refugee Flows: An Apocalyptic Scenario

Despite being confronted with a severe economic and social crisis for the past six years, Greece has been faced with exponentially rising flows of asylum seekers and irregular migrants since 2013, and particularly during 2014-2015. None had predicted the dramatic escalation in asylum-seeking flows that took place during the first 10 months of 2015 and which are still in full swing.
By 13 November 2015, 666,502 people had arrived in Greece, mostly crossing from Turkey to the Aegean islands, and most fleeing war and violence in their home countries (Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, but also Pakistan and Somalia). In October alone, more than 200,000 people crossed the Mediterranean to Greece, many of them specifically passing through the island of Lesvos. During the same period (Jan to mid-November 2015), Italy received 141,777 people.

To read the whole report please press here.

As refugees continue to be driven out of Syria, a legal crisis is taking shape throughout the region that parallels the humanitarian one.

Refugees leaving Syria face a bureaucratic nightmare that isn’t always readily apparent. For instance, when they depart their home countries, many leave behind their IDs, passports, and marriage and birth certificates. Then, because of lengthy and complex registration processes, some Syrians go on to marry in their host countries without proper documentation. Problems proliferate from there. Children are born “illegitimate” and divorces are legally impossible. Family, the crucial stabilizer of societies in tumult, runs the risk of breaking down.

These obstacles to marriage and birth registration, coupled with gender-discriminatory nationality laws in the region, are creating an urgent need for legal aid. This need is particularly pressing in countries like Jordan and Lebanon, which are at the front lines of the Syrian refugee crisis, yet haven’t ratified the 1951 Status of Refugees Convention or its 1967 Protocol.

To read the whole article press here.

MYTILENE, 3 November 2015 (IRIN) – Currently on leave from the UN emergency aid coordination body OCHA, Greek humanitarian worker Fotini Rantsiou has spent the last three months as a volunteer on the island of Lesvos. As the death toll mounts in the Eastern Mediterranean, with stormy seas claiming the lives of at least 70 refugees in the last week of October, many of them children, the EU’s slow and fragmented response to the refugee crisis is looking increasingly ineffectual.

Months of summits and action plans have still not provided refugees with an alternative to putting their children in flimsy boats and handing over large sums of money to smugglers.

In a speech on Friday, following a series of fatal shipwrecks in the Aegean, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told his parliament he felt “shamed as a member of this European leadership, both for the inability of Europe in dealing with this human drama, and for the level of debate at a senior level, where one is passing the buck to the other.”

To read the whole article press here.

Group Exhibition Art2Give by the Blender Gallery and the KINARI Design 
to support children-migrants with the help of the «αλληλεγγύη – SolidarityNow»

Athens , 10 November 2015. The Blender Gallery in collaboration with KINARI Design and ETHOS Art will inaugurate on Thursday, November 19, 2015 the exhibition “Art2Give” during which works by contemporary American painters will be presented for the first time in Greece. The title of the exhibition is dedicated to the refugee crisis that has been worsening rapidly nowadays and for this reason, part of the proceeds from the exhibition will support the initiatives of  “SolidarityNow” for the relief of these vulnerable populations.

In this context, during the opening night there will be a raffle with tickets worth 25 euros each and two prizes : one lucky visitor will win artwork worth $ 3,000 while the lucky one will win a full service package including space remodeling, offered by KINARI Design.
All proceeds from the raffle and 10% from the sale of the artwork will be offered by “SolidarityNow” to support refugee children and their families.

The “Together for Children” Association” and the Network of Migrant Women “Melissa”, with the support of the Migrant Integration Council of Athens, implement the project “A backpack for the Road” for refugee children.

The basic idea of ​​action arose from the need of basic products which are necessary for the journey of children and refugee families to their final destination.

The “Together for Children” Association provides each child refugee a pair of new shoes, offered by TOMS, and in cooperation with the Network of Migrant Women “Melissa”, prepares backpacks containing items for personal hygiene, cereal bars, whistles, flashlights, first aid kits, notebooks, pencils, paints and small toys. The products in the backpacks are offered by companies and individuals.

Since mid-September, there have been more than 500 backpacks and 1,159 pairs of TOMS shoes delivered during visits to the Open Hospitality Centre in Elaionas and Galatsi, as well as at Technopolis of the Athens Municipality, whose space has served as a meeting point for refugee families from Syria.

This effort will continue and distributions will be made at regular intervals in cooperation with the accommodation structures and refugee communities, so as to provide practical support to the refugee children and families who have experienced the pain of war and uprooting.

“Europe’s borders are outside the area”, highlighted the Rapporteur of the Migration Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Andrea Rigoni, from Lesbos. Indeed, Europe’s borders perhaps stop right there, as the promised European solidarity was never manifested, while the number published by the UNHCR is staggering: More than half a million refugees and migrants have already arrived in Greece this year. Common realization? Even a few days after the first hotspot was established on the Island, images at the Center of Immigrant and Refugee Registration in Moria remain tragic.
But what is unfolding is actually not a refugee crisis, but primarily a solidarity crisis. And during this crisis, the only one who have successfully managed to face this solidarity challenge is civil society.
More specifically, Open Society Foundations (OSF) has been intervening for the last 25 years with specific actions and multiple programs to support immigrant and refugee populations in Europe. The founders of OSF fore sought the crisis and the upcoming humanitarian issue in Greece, stressing that Europe overall must reclaim its vision of a society based on solidarity.

Read the article by Kathimerini at the link below (available only in Greek):

The theater Poreia will host an additional performance of the play “The Great Chimera” on Saturday, November 7th at 5.00pm

All proceeds will support the program of “SolidarityNow”
for refugee children

Athens, 29 October 2015. Children are always war’s greatest victims. And in this refugee crisis, they haven’t been an exception. It is estimated that every year, around 4,000 unaccompanied minors enter Greece. These children – whoa often only five or six years old –travel alone, are abandoned at the border, or lose every contact with their families. Children are a particularly vulnerable group as it faces risks such as exploitation by trafficking networks, child prostitution, or even difficulty to access shelter, food and basic services.

The theater Poreia will host an additional performance of the play “The Great Chimera” on Saturday, November 7th at 5.00pm and in cooperation with “SolidarityNow”, which contributes to the care and protection of unaccompanied minors, in their journey to reach a new, safe home.
All proceeds from this performance will be dedicated to a program that supports unaccompanied minors and single parent families to continue their difficult journey from our islands to Idomeni and from there, to other European countries.
The theater Poreia, the artists and the entire production team of the play “The Great Chimera” by M. Karagatsis (directed by D.Tarloou) will support these vulnerable groups with : basic necessities (rain boots, socks, sleeping bags, scarves, napkins, pampers, baby carriers, blankets etc).
* Note: All proceeds will be allocated to directly support this specific population. The proceeds will not cover the operational needs of “SolidarityNow”.

After the first step which regards the emergency programs and that is being implemented by SolidarityNow under the “six-point response”, we now move on to the second step by designing new, medium-term actions, thereby enhancing solidarity in practice.
At SolidarityNow, we are true to our humanitarian work and our main purpose to support the populations that are most affected by the current refugee and immigration crisis. Therefore, we plan and are, in fact, ready to start piloting new, innovative programs that respond effectively and promptly to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable populations.
In this context, we seek to develop synergies and fruitful collaborations with institutions, organizations and donors that will allow us to develop together as soon as possible this strategic plan so as to meet the challenges of this unprecedented crisis and provide decent living conditions to populations that are on the move.
The strategic operational plan of SolidarityNow includes the following programs to be implemented:

Vulnerability Checkpoints in Thessaloniki
Create vulnerability checkpoints in Thessaloniki in order to identify and support the most vulnerable population groups, emphasizing on urban areas of Central Macedonia and Evros. The program activities focus mainly on humanitarian assistance for asylum seekers, providing beneficiaries secure temporary shelter, mediation, translation and access to services and programs.

«SolidarityNow» in Athens
By focusing on solidarity, SolidarityNow proposes a pilot voluntary hosting program for refugees and other displaced people, who lack the basic human right to housing. The primary goal is to give families of Syrian refugees and vulnerable people, who are on the islands and in the capital, living under unsuitable or poor conditions, the opportunity of a temporary accommodation in houses of local families, thus laying the basis for social cohesion between the local population and migrants.
The beneficiaries, supported by experienced personnel and via their association with the Athens Solidarity Centre and local networks of civil society, will have access to an full package of services such as primary health care, legal assistance, psycho – social support for children and families etc.

Solidarity Network Islands
The program aims to support the first reaction line of local solidarity actors on the islands to new population arrivals, thereby strengthening the operational capacity and advocacy for humanitarian principles governing fieldwork, based on facts and examples.
The program will implement specific guiding methods, tools and plans for responding to emergencies, will set forth actions to support community participation, mobilization and transparency, and will enhance the expertise of civil society in Greece.
More specifically, SolidarityNow – through the adoption of a communication channel with international organizations and the communities of the islands – will reinforce local solidarity actors and informal networks in order to expand this knowledge and integrate experiences in their communities. This way, they will be given the opportunity to implement a more comprehensive and targeted action plan that responds to the increased humanitarian needs of this period.

InfoREF
InfoREF (Information REFugee) is a multi-level information and communication network that uses the development of technology towards the benefit of third country nationals arriving in Greece, of humanitarian workers and of local, national and international media outlets.
Based on the active, nationwide network of partners, SolidarityNow mobilizes all available sources and intends to improve reception conditions and the journey of third country nationals, through the establishment of pilot network programs, software and applications, so as to address the information gap, the coordination challenges and the dissemination of news and activities on the field.

Athens, October 19, 2015. Considering the urgent needs of refugees as winter is approaching, “SolidarityNow” proceeded with the decision to support the implementation of new, major programs and structures, with an additional funding of 2 million euros. The selection of projects and organizations was based on the “six points response” concept which SolidarityNow implements in order to respond promptly and effectively to the current crisis, while still covering long-term needs and priorities of the populations that are most affected.

«The “six-point response" is essentially an emergency plan in order to face, with our partners, rapidly and crucially, the immediate problems that the refugees confront as soon as they arrive in Greece», says Epaminondas Farmakis, Managing Director of SolidarityNow. He further explains: «We give priority to immediate relief, we ensure the populations' access through the use of mobile teams to health care, and we help speed up the asylum procedure for unaccompanied children. Through synergies, we respond in effective, integrated and complementary manner to the crisis –so that we do not again witness other tragedies, whose victims are always the most vulnerable of our fellow men».

In this context, and in an attempt to increase the ability of the state to address the humanitarian crisis and to speed up the process of registration of displaced people –as it often hampers the difficult conditions under which the refugees live -SolidarityNow supports the competent authorities throughout the country. Specifically:

®     First Reception Service
Support to the First Reception Service for the operation of two mobile units in Leros and Kos. The non-governmental organizations METAction and PRAKSIS, in cooperation with the First Reception Service will provide to refugees medical examinations, relief items, interpreting services and access to a wide range of services. The Service has to face the lack of reception services in the Dodecanese, while the project intends to improve the provision of water and sanitation at the First Reception Service in Evros.

®     National Asylum Service
Support to the National Asylum Service by hosting an office and staff at the Athens Solidarity Center that is operated by SolidarityNow since 2014. The program aims to accelerate asylum procedures and provide assistance and support to vulnerable groups from Syria such as unaccompanied minors and single parent families. At the same time, SolidarityNow supports the forthcoming needs and the operation of the regional offices of the Asylum Service in Patras, Samos and Chios.

• National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings

Support of the Festival «Break the Chain», organized by the National Rapporteur on the occasion of the Pan-European Day against Human Trafficking, and held at Technopolis of the Athens Municipality (24-25 October 2015), in cooperation with PRAKSIS. The Festival aims to inform the public and raise awareness on issues related to trafficking and exploitation of people by people.

Simultaneously, SolidarityNow strongly committed to the promotion of civil society initiatives with the implementation of important projects, proceeds to support established international non-governmental organizations to undertake the following actions:

• International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Support to the International Rescue Committee for the implementation of a program which includes ensuring protection to asylum seekers and vulnerable groups in Lesvos, for the launch of missions to provide direct and targeted support in emergency situations on the Greek islands, borders and Balkan countries, but also for the evaluation of the emergency situation in Turkey, as this will be formed in the winter, in order to facilitate a collective response to new, possible population arrivals in 2016.

• Medecins du Monde

Support to MdM for the operation of an “Open Polyclinic” in the city of Patras, which is the departure point of displaced populations. The Polyclinic offers free medical care to uninsured citizens, to people in need of international protection, but also to all those who do not have access to the healthcare system. Special care and attention is given to vulnerable groups (women, children and unaccompanied minors) and to the local health structures which need support.

• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) /  Doctors Without Borders

SolidarityNow is a network of people and organizations established in Greece in 2013 through the initiative of the Open Society Foundations. They work together to help those affected by the crisis the most. SolidarityNow supports groups and organizations of civil society that are active in Greece with programs and operates two Solidarity Centers in Athens (supported by the EEA Grants) and Thessaloniki, at which vulnerable groups of the population can receive free medical, legal and other services.

SolidarityNow operates by supporting synergies between civil society and governmental entities. Since the beginning of 2015, it has allocated the amount of ten (10) million euros to projects related to migration and the refugee crisis in Greece.

The young men leaving Syria escape conscription. If humanitarian assistance to countries neighboring Syria and Iraq increased, flows of refugees will stop … “Five myths about refugees” is the title of an article from the “EFSYN” newspaper by Fotini Rantsiou, coordinator of the actions of #SolidarityNow Lesvos.

The article is available only in Greek if you want to read press here.