Published : 02-04-2017
The degrading conditions on the Greek islands as a result of the European Union's agreement with Turkey one year ago have led to an alarming rise in self-harm, increased aggression, anxiety and depression among child refugees and migrants, a new report by Save the Children has revealed.
“A Tide of Self-Harm and Depression” details the impact of the appalling conditions created by the agreement – which has forced thousands of families and more than 5,000 children to live in detention-like facilities.
The report paints a disturbing picture of how these conditions are undermining the mental health and general well-being of children.
According to the report, incidents of self-harm in children as young as nine are growing, with mothers finding self-inflicted scars on their children's hands while bathing them. Some children as young as 12 have even attempted suicide – and in one case claimed to have filmed the event – in response to seeing others do so.
There has also been a spike in drug and alcohol abuse among teenagers in the camps who are trying to escape their painful realities, a vulnerability which dealers are exploiting.
Save the Children found out that refugee children have been caught up in violent protests, have seen dead bodies in the camps, have spent winter in flimsy tents or even slept in car parks, have been denied an education, and have lost all of their belongings in fires.
Save the Children staff members have also reported that some unaccompanied children live in "24-hour survival mode" and sleep in shifts to try to stay safe. Many unaccompanied children have also disappeared and left the island with smugglers or by themselves.
“The EU-Turkey deal was meant to end the flow of 'irregular migrants' to Greece, but at what cost?”, said Andreas Ring, Humanitarian Representative for Save the Children in Greece. “Save the Children's field teams are seeing an alarming deterioration in children's mental health and fear that a generation of young boys and girls are developing long-term issues such as major depression, separation anxiety, over-anxiety and post-traumatic stress – as well as associated physical conditions like heart disease and diabetes.”
“Many of these children have escaped war and conflict only to end up in camps many of them call 'hell' and where they say they are made to feel more like animals than humans. If conditions remain unchanged, we could end up with a generation of numb children who think violence is normal,” added Mr. Ring.
Human rights watchdogs regularly report cases of sexual abuse against refugees in Greek makeshift camps, mostly children.
400 Palestinian refugees have been taking shelter in the Greek islands of Lesbos, Mytilene, Chios, Leros, and Kos.
AGPS urges the EU and the Greek government to take immediate action to end the illegitimate and unwarranted detention of child refugees and migrants; decongest the makeshift camps and transfer vulnerable and unaccompanied children and families to safe environments, and immediately move children with traumatic disorders to ad hoc centers where they can receive specialized therapy and support.
The degrading conditions on the Greek islands as a result of the European Union's agreement with Turkey one year ago have led to an alarming rise in self-harm, increased aggression, anxiety and depression among child refugees and migrants, a new report by Save the Children has revealed.
“A Tide of Self-Harm and Depression” details the impact of the appalling conditions created by the agreement – which has forced thousands of families and more than 5,000 children to live in detention-like facilities.
The report paints a disturbing picture of how these conditions are undermining the mental health and general well-being of children.
According to the report, incidents of self-harm in children as young as nine are growing, with mothers finding self-inflicted scars on their children's hands while bathing them. Some children as young as 12 have even attempted suicide – and in one case claimed to have filmed the event – in response to seeing others do so.
There has also been a spike in drug and alcohol abuse among teenagers in the camps who are trying to escape their painful realities, a vulnerability which dealers are exploiting.
Save the Children found out that refugee children have been caught up in violent protests, have seen dead bodies in the camps, have spent winter in flimsy tents or even slept in car parks, have been denied an education, and have lost all of their belongings in fires.
Save the Children staff members have also reported that some unaccompanied children live in "24-hour survival mode" and sleep in shifts to try to stay safe. Many unaccompanied children have also disappeared and left the island with smugglers or by themselves.
“The EU-Turkey deal was meant to end the flow of 'irregular migrants' to Greece, but at what cost?”, said Andreas Ring, Humanitarian Representative for Save the Children in Greece. “Save the Children's field teams are seeing an alarming deterioration in children's mental health and fear that a generation of young boys and girls are developing long-term issues such as major depression, separation anxiety, over-anxiety and post-traumatic stress – as well as associated physical conditions like heart disease and diabetes.”
“Many of these children have escaped war and conflict only to end up in camps many of them call 'hell' and where they say they are made to feel more like animals than humans. If conditions remain unchanged, we could end up with a generation of numb children who think violence is normal,” added Mr. Ring.
Human rights watchdogs regularly report cases of sexual abuse against refugees in Greek makeshift camps, mostly children.
400 Palestinian refugees have been taking shelter in the Greek islands of Lesbos, Mytilene, Chios, Leros, and Kos.
AGPS urges the EU and the Greek government to take immediate action to end the illegitimate and unwarranted detention of child refugees and migrants; decongest the makeshift camps and transfer vulnerable and unaccompanied children and families to safe environments, and immediately move children with traumatic disorders to ad hoc centers where they can receive specialized therapy and support.
