In Greek Migrant Camp, Women Endure Hardship And Fear

(@FahadShabbir)

In Greek migrant camp, women endure hardship and fear

Ch�os, Greece, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Dec, 2019 ) :Mired in the mud, living under a plastic tarpaulin next to overflowing bins, 18-year-old Afghan Merziyeh Eskandari knows she faces another hard day in the migrant camp on the Greek island of Chios.

The daily routine starts with standing in line for stinking toilets, getting two bottles of water and a portion of rice, and later sleeping in the cold without electricity.

The Vial camp on Chios has places for 1,000 people but nearly 5,000 are crammed in. Some of them, like Merziyeh, are camping in a nearby olive grove.

To keep warm or cook food, the migrants cut branches from the olive trees and make a fire in a metal bucket.

The smell of smoke, dirty water and refuse permeates the camp.

The UN's refugee agency and NGOs say a lack of hygiene is not the only problem in the camp. It can be a dangerous place -- especially for women.

"Insecurity, especially at night, is often mentioned by the women," UNHCR says.

The makeshift camp is home to men of various nationalities who have migrated alone.

Human Rights Watch recently sounded the alarm, calling on the Greek government to "act immediately to ensure safe and humane conditions for women and girls" in the migrant camps.

The rights group urged the authorities to "identify the vulnerable people, including pregnant women and young mothers, victims of sexual violence and other violent acts", as well as the disabled, and offer them appropriate lodging.