media release

New Oxfam report uncovers stories from “prison-like” EU funded refugee center

March 7, 2022

New report from the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) and Oxfam sheds light on the inside of the new 43-million-euro migration center on the Greek island of Samos. The report comes ahead of the 6-year anniversary of the EU-Turkey deal, and in the midst of already more than a million people fleeing conflict in Ukraine to seek asylum in EU countries. If ever there was a time to learn from the failures made in Greece, it is now.

The report found:

Approximately 1 in 5 people have been in de facto detention for two months. This is despite a Greek court finding this practice illegal in the ruling on a case of an Afghan resident in the Samos center last December. The Greek administration continues to deny this illegal practice. Yet, testimonies gathered by the Greek Council for Refugees and Oxfam show this practice remains very much a reality.
The use of “revenge tactics” in response to NGO reports, media coverage, and legal action by asylum seekers on illegal detention measures. This has included early morning raids, unexplained transfers to the police station, and oral eviction notices to residents appealing a negative asylum decision.
The excessive use of security. There is constant CCTV monitoring of all residents and an 8pm curfew. To exit and enter the camp, residents need an “asylum applicant” card. Some people – like the newly arrived, those who can’t afford the second subsequent asylum application fee, or those waiting for the Greek authorities to examine their subsequent asylum application – do not have this card. In the future, not having these cards may keep people from getting food and clothes.

Testimony from T., a young Afghan man, trapped on Samos since 2019:

“I just want to go outside. They don’t let me. They are keeping me here as a prisoner. If I had to choose, I would say that I would prefer the previous camp – at least, there, I was free. I was not living in a cage. At least, I had my freedom to go somewhere.”

This reception center in Samos will serve as the blueprint for the EU’s rollout of centers across the Greek islands. Costing the EU 276 million euros, they are a “new chapter in migration management” according to EU officials, and have the explicit aim to “discourage them from coming in the first place” according to the Greek Minister for Migration and Asylum. The EU has already invested in building two new centers on the islands of Kos and Leros and has plans to build two new centers on Chios and Lesvos.

Alkistis Agrafioti, Advocacy Officer at the Greek Council for Refugees:

“Going to the center, you have only one question: how is this suitable for people? It feels like visiting a prison located in the middle of nowhere. To enter and exit, people must go through a whole array of security measures with turnstiles, magnetic gates, x-rays, scanning cards and fingerprints. Body and bag searches as well. According to testimonies, even children going to school do not escape this daily procedure.

“What we saw when visiting the new Samos center and what people told us is that their previous degrading living conditions at the old Vathy camp just turned into prison like conditions in the new facility. The security guards are all over and you feel followed at every step. One resident we talked to told us how it felt like there were three security guards to one person. We met with an Afghan young man, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, that has turned to self-harm several times as he is trapped on the island for the last 3 years. For two months, he could not even exit the new facility due to an illegal exit ban. Many asked ‘what are we being punished for, when all we want is to rebuild our lives and be safe in Europe?’”

Evelien van Roemburg, Head of Oxfam EU Office:

“Over half a million people have already crossed Ukraine’s border fleeing a conflict that, according to the UN, could displace 4 million Ukrainians. Now more than ever, the EU must show their lessons learned from its migration response in Greece. As countries bordering Ukraine are receiving most asylum seekers, we cannot risk a repetition of another scraped together European response. The EU and all governments must come together and share collective responsibility to ensure the right of all people, no matter the country they came from, to find a safe refuge.

“This month marks six years since the EU-Turkey deal. And yet, what has the EU done? There is no agreement on migration and asylum rules. The decisions the EU does take, such as this one on closed centers, are taken with little thought to the people they will affect. The EU is hellbent on following its policy of deterrence, a policy that promotes ‘prison’ like conditions, de facto detention and human rights violations. This is not normal, nor is it necessary.

“Alternatives exist. The EU should invest in accommodation that fosters integration and allows people to prosper. It should not be located on the fringes of society, but instead allow people to take part in daily life and have access to basic services like going to the doctor.”

Notes:

Read the Lesbos Bulletin and our Stories from Samos publication.

Names of persons in testimonies changes to protect anonymity.

In December 2021, a GCR and Oxfam delegation visited the Samos CCAC and met with residents, the administration, and civil society organisations operating on the island which provide legal, medical and psychosocial aid to migrants.

In September 2021, the Greek government opened the first Closed Controlled Access Center (CCAC) on the island of Samos built with 43 million euro in EU funds.

In March 2016, EU and Turkish leaders struck a deal which stated that people arriving to the Greek islands irregularly will be returned to Turkey. In exchange, the EU promised 6 billion euros in EU funding to Turkey to support refugee integration and agreed to resettle one Syrian refugee from Turkey for every Syrian returned.

Asylum seekers submitting a second subsequent asylum application must pay a fee of 100 euros. This means that a couple with two children must pay 400 euros. This Greek provision is against EU (Asylum Procedures Directive) and international law. Asylum seekers whose circumstances may have changed since their initial application and now have a much higher chance of receiving a positive asylum decision, still are required to pay this fee e.g. people from Afghanistan. Yet many cannot afford it.

In December, the number of people banned from exiting the camp was around 100, out of the 450 residents.

Οn 17 December 2021, the Administrative Court of Syros, ruling in the case of an Afghan resident of the facility and represented by GCR, confirmed that the prohibition of exit from the Samos CCAC imposed by the Greek state was unlawful.

Residents in Samos CCAC have limited access to healthcare. There is no doctor or medical staff based inside the camp, and residents must rely on the sporadic visits of a military doctor.

For updates, please follow @OxfamEU.

Gavi launches COVID vaccine initiative for developing countries

June 5, 2020

Responding to the launch of a new initiative to help developing countries access a coronavirus vaccine at the Global Vaccine Summit today, Oxfam’s Health Policy Manager, Anna Marriott, said:

“Gavi, and the governments behind it, recognise that high prices could prevent millions of people across the developing world being vaccinated against the coronavirus. Their response to this problem must avoid repeating the costly mistakes of the past, where they sought to subsidise the price charged by the pharmaceutical industry rather than seeking to bring them down, and ignored the needs of middle-income countries.

“Governments must stand up to wealthy pharmaceutical companies and insist that taxpayer’s money is only invested in vaccines that are patent free and available for all.”

Open letter – seeking urgent humanitarian assistance for world’s most vulnerable people

April 28, 2020

An open letter to the New Zealand Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Finance, from fourteen leading New Zealand international aid agencies.

Dear Prime Minister Ardern, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Peters, and Finance Minister Robertson,

We thank you for the unprecedented steps your government has taken to protect people in New Zealand from the coronavirus and its impacts. Today, we ask that you extend assistance to people in places far less able to withstand this pandemic.

With your inspiring leadership and guidance, here in New Zealand we have accepted the need for radical action to stop the coronavirus and are coping as best we can. Yet, as you know, even with all your government has done to support people through these hard times, people remain worried about their health and their jobs.

Like here, family life has been turned upside down across the world. It’s hard to imagine families crammed into refugee camps in Iraq and Syria, or in the squatter settlements on the outskirts of Port Moresby, living in close quarters, with no clean water close by, no soap, and the knowledge that there will be little help from struggling public health systems.

We’ve all become experts at hand washing and staying at home as we try to stop coronavirus and save lives. It is not easy, but we know how crucial it is to stop the virus. What would it be like trying to do this at a single tap in your part of the refugee camp, that 250 other people also rely on? This is the reality for more than 900,000 people in Cox’s Bazaar refugee camp in Bangladesh.

It is for these people that we ask your government to respond immediately to the unprecedented global coronavirus crisis by doing the following.

Provide NZ$25 million in immediate, additional humanitarian funding as part of an emergency coronavirus response to boost life-saving assistance for people already living in the world’s worst crisis and emergency situations.
Advocate for the cancellation of all external debt payments due to be made in 2020 by developing country governments.
Protect and maintain existing commitments to aid and climate finance.

Coronavirus is anticipated to exact a catastrophic human toll in developing countries. Governments are taking rapid measures to stop the virus’s spread, but with limited resources, high debt levels, and weak health systems, they struggle to protect their citizens and economies. Imperial College estimates that without interventions at least 40 million people across the world may die.

The coronavirus has spread to every corner of the globe, but so can our compassion. We request that New Zealand contribute to the collective pandemic response: no one is safe until we are all safe, and New Zealand is in a position to help.

Yours sincerely,

Care
Caritas
CWS
Council for International Development
Engineers Without Borders
FairTrade A/NZ
Family Planning
Hagar New Zealand
Oxfam
Rotary New Zealand
Tearfund
Transparency International New Zealand
UnionAid
World Vision.

UN Climate Summit postponed as a result of Coronavirus

April 2, 2020

Responding to the announcement that the UN Climate Summit due to take place in the UK in November, has been postponed until 2021 as a result of the Coronavirus, Chema Vera, Interim Executive Director of Oxfam International said:

“This pause is understandable in light of efforts to stop the pandemic we all now face. But this should not mean pausing our vital efforts to respond to a climate crisis that is already threatening lives and pushing millions of people deeper into hunger and poverty.

“The UK, as host of the summit, can keep global momentum going by working with countries worldwide to commit to bold economic stimulus measures that will reduce carbon emissions as well as accelerate the recovery from coronavirus. Steps taken now to reshape the economy and clean industries of the future cannot wait.

“Governments are right now showing they are ready to cooperate. They should avoid repeating the same mistakes that were made after the 2008 global financial crisis when stimulus packages caused emissions to rebound.”

Health spending in poor countries must double immediately to prevent millions of deaths – Oxfam

March 30, 2020

Oxfam today called for a package of nearly US$160 billion in immediate debt cancellation and aid to fund a Global Public Health Plan and Emergency Response, to help prevent millions of deaths as a result of the Coronavirus. The five-point plan would enable poor countries to take action to prevent the spread of the disease and build the capacity of health systems to care for those affected.

The pandemic has caused widespread suffering in rich countries, overwhelming some of the best healthcare systems in the world. But with the disease now spreading to many poor countries where high levels of poverty and inequality risk accelerating the disease, the public health challenges are even greater. Nearly 3 billion people across the developing world do not have access to clean water, millions more do not have access to adequate healthcare and live in crowded slums or refugee camps where social isolation is impossible. As women make up 70 per cent of health workers and carry out most unpaid care work, it will hit them the hardest.

Jose Maria Vera, Oxfam International Interim Executive Director said “In Mali there are three ventilators for one million people. In Zambia, one doctor for 10,000 people. We know from Oxfam’s experience of fighting Ebola that with rapid action, this disease can be stalled and its catastrophic impact stopped. But we must act now and on a scale never seen before.

“Without urgent, ambitious and historic action, we could easily see the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War Two.”

The Imperial College estimates that in the absence of interventions the Coronavirus could have led to 40 million deaths in the coming year. Oxfam calculates that doubling the health spending of the 85 poorest countries, home to nearly half the world’s population, would cost $159.5 billion dollars. This is less than 10 per cent of the US fiscal stimulus to fight Coronavirus. While some donor institutions have begun to increase funding, the scale is not anywhere near the immense size of the challenge.

Oxfam is working with local partners, ministries of heath and key UN agencies in 65 countries to respond to the crisis and help save lives. In Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh where over 855,000 Rohingya are living in makeshift camps, Oxfam is already scaling up preventive measures like soap distribution and handwashing stations at communal facilities to help 70,000 refugees. In Zaatari camp, Jordan – the largest Syrian refugee camp in the world – Oxfam has already started hygiene and hand washing awareness for 2,000 children and aims to reach 78,000 people with water, hygiene and sanitation. And in Burkina Faso, where 780,000 people are internally displaced (IDP), Oxfam is currently working in some of the largest IDP areas ensuring that both host communities and displaced people have access to safe, clean water. To meet the desperate humanitarian need now emerging, all governments must step up and fully fund the UN Global Humanitarian Response plan.

Oxfam is calling for the G20 and other national governments to tackle the virus head on by agreeing an ambitious Global Public Health Plan and Emergency Response. The five-point plan calls for:

Huge investment in prevention. Public health promotion, community engagement, access for humanitarian workers and provision of clean water and sanitation, especially handwashing
10 million new paid and protected health workers. Together with urgent funding and equipment for local responders and humanitarians already on the ground
Healthcare must be free. All fees for health should be removed, and free testing and treatment delivered
Governments must requisition all private facilities. Governments must requisition all healthcare capacity in their countries, ensuring that all facilities, private and public are directed towards fighting this virus and meeting all other essential healthcare needs
Vaccines and treatments must be a global public good. Global agreement must be reached that vaccines and treatments, when ready, will be made rapidly available to everyone who needs it free of charge. The profits of pharmaceutical corporations cannot be put ahead of the future of humanity

Vera added “It’s understandable that national leaders are focused on helping their own citizens, but G20 leaders must also find the space for supporting poor nations too. We can only beat this pandemic if we act in solidarity with every country and for every person. No one is safe until we are all safe.”

NZ’s two richest men gain $1.1b while poorest Kiwis lose out

January 21, 2019

The two richest people in New Zealand added an astounding NZ$1.1 billion to their fortunes in 2017-2018, while the wealth of the poorest half of the country decreased overall, according to new Oxfam research to be released today.

The report also reveals that the richest 5% of the population collectively owns more wealth than the bottom 90%.

Oxfam’s research forms part of a global report released to coincide with this week’s annual meeting of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world, as they gather at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is scheduled to attend the meeting, which focuses on global politics, economics and social issues.

Published later today, the full report, Public Good or Private Wealth?, shows how the growing gap between rich and poor is undermining the fight against poverty, damaging local economies and fuelling public anger across the globe. The report reveals how governments are exacerbating inequality by, on the one hand, underfunding public services such as healthcare and education, while, on the other, under taxing corporations and the wealthy, and failing to clamp down on tax avoidance. The research also finds that consistently, women and girls are hardest hit by rising economic inequality.

Rachael Le Mesurier, executive director of Oxfam New Zealand, said: “We have a long way to go before we can say that every Kiwi is getting a fair go. We know inequality is harmful for us all. It perpetuates poverty, erodes trust, fuels crime, makes us unhappy, negates economic growth, and robs opportunity from the poorest – including shortening their lives. And women and girls suffer the most – across their lifetimes women have less opportunity than men to get paid work, they earn less and are less able to invest in assets.

“One of the key things we can do to tackle inequality here and across the world is to tax wealth more. Our taxes pay for schools, hospitals, and infrastructure such as communications and roads on which we all rely. Across the world, rich multinational corporations and extremely wealthy individuals are not paying their fair share. When big business and the super-rich don’t pay their fair share of tax, the rest of us pay the price – with kids without teachers, long waiting lists for health interventions, and not enough police in our communities.

“But to tax wealth more, we need to see it. We need more transparency in our tax system, both for multinational corporations and extremely wealthy individuals. We need more information in the public realm so that we can make sure that the wealthy pay their fair share – and that we grow a New Zealand where everyone gets a fair go in life.

“We are eagerly anticipating the release of the Tax Working Group’s final report early this year. As a country we’ve been talking about wealth taxes, such as capital gains, for some time now. To tackle the stubborn inequality that plagues ordinary, working Kiwis, we need to stop talking and start doing,” said Le Mesurier. “We hope the Tax Working Group takes this opportunity to recommend greater wealth taxes and more transparency, and we encourage the government to take the bold action necessary to reduce inequality”.

Notes to editors

Oxfam’s calculations are based on the most up to date, comprehensive data sources available. Figures on the share of wealth owned by the poorest half of humanity come from Credit Suisse Wealth Databook and relate to the period June 2017 – June 2018. Figures on the very richest in society are based on more detailed data from the annual Forbes ‘Billionaires List’ and relates to the period March 2017 – March 2018.
The two richest New Zealanders are Graeme Hart and Richard Chandler. They own wealth of US$10.1 billion and US$2.1 billion respectively. In 2016 Singapore-based Chandler was named as using Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers tax avoidance controversy.

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:

Kelsey-Rae Taylor | kelsey-rae.taylor@oxfam.org.nz | 021 298 5894