"Greece must take urgent measures and adopt long-term policies to improve the reception and integration of migrants," said Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic on Thursday.
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"The Greek authorities must urgently deal with the precarious hygienic conditions, the psychological distress (...) which threaten the health of asylum seekers and migrants on the islands," said Dunja Mijatovic, who paid a visit to the country at the beginning of June. In the registration and reception camps located on five islands in the Aegean Sea, including Lesbos, a total of 31,000 people live for 6,000 places. Toilets and water points are still insufficient.
The Commissioner was also concerned about the decision of the Greek government to expel thousands of refugees from social housing. New Greek asylum legislation, implemented since 1 June, has reduced the period during which asylum-seekers can stay in these EU-funded apartments from six months to one month. ESTIA accommodation program managed by the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). More than 11,200 refugees have to leave their homes, according to the Greek Ministry of Migration.
The move could "threaten them to become homeless," said the commissioner. She called on "the Greek authorities to help them and to design and implement long-term integration policies".