Syrian refugees living in 'unsanitary, volatile conditions,' says aide
Thousands of refugees arriving on Greek shores have been detained in poor living conditions
A New Brunswick woman volunteering in Greece says conditions are unsanitary and volatile for Syrian refugees landing on the shores of Chios.
"There are over 1,700 people living in complete squalor in a camp where 850 people can live comfortably," said Zoë Caddell, of Rothesay.
She has been volunteering with the Eastern Shore Rescue Team since February, assisting the hundreds of refugees arriving at night aboard dinghies, after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey.
"I think about my time in Chios in February and first half of March and it all seems quite innocent compared to now," Caddell told CBC's Information Morning Moncton on Tuesday.
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Zoë Caddell helps Syrian refugees on Greek island of Chios
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Zoë Caddell cycles through Europe pledging help for refugees
"Back then, we focused on beach rescue, clothing people, provided them with water and information concerning their rights," she said.
But on March 20, Caddell says, the five camps she tended to were closed and anyone arriving on the shores was detained and sent to a registration centre, called Vial.
'They had no idea they were coming to Chios to be put in prison.'- Zoë Caddell
Caddell says she and her team assumed that once the camps were closed, the boats would stop arriving.
"Police kept telling our team the population stayed at 1,500, but we record head counts on the shore," she said.
"They kept coming. There are nights with 100, a few hundred people arriving on the beaches," she said. "They were not aware of the detention centre, they had no idea they were coming to Chios to be put in prison."
'Serious breach of human rights'
On March 18, the European Union (EU) struck a deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees entering Europe. The deal went into effect on March 20, and refugees began to be deported on April 4.
A statement on the EU's website says the aim is "to replace disorganised, chaotic, irregular and dangerous migratory flows by organized, safe and legal pathways to Europe for those entitled to international protection in line with EU and international law."
"People in Canada need to know that this EU deal is going to mean serious breach of human rights. People are saying they can't deport people whose asylum claims have yet to be assessed. But the deportations happened yesterday … there were 66 people put on a boat from Chios."
Caddell says there was never significant violence on the island until people arriving were detained and tension between nationalities heightened — "as it would with anyone if you have to fight for food and space in unsanitary and volatile conditions."
Now, she says, there are frequent fights, including a stabbing last week, and people are still not getting enough food.
"Food was fed to hundreds through a hole in the fence … which sounds degrading but so necessary."
"There are old men, pregnant women and tons of children and they're not being fed enough. It's outrageous."
But the deal between Turkey and the EU will continue to divert refugees to other countries, and in the meantime, Caddell says they will continue to show up on the shores of Chios.
"History has demonstrated that once one migrant route closes, another route opens. We can expect to see people travelling through the mountains in Bulgaria or taking boats to north Africa to Italy," she said.
"The flow of migrants won't stop so long as there is war in those countries."
With files from Information Morning Moncton