January 2016
Europe Refugee and Migrant Crisis
CRS Regional Response
Germany
IRAQ
Rahmad and his daughter Rayhon eat lunch in the soup kitchen of Caritas Athens Refugee Centre, in Greece. Photo by Andrew McConnell for CRS
CONTEXT The refugee crisis continues to grow, example is from November 2015, with increasing numbers of refugees when—without notice—Macedonia, CRS/Caritas response fleeing Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia decided CRS is working with more than other countries. The number of to filter nationalities, allowing only 10 local partners in Greece, refugees and migrants in Europe Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans to cross Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, surpassed 1 million as of December their borders. Other nationalities were Slovenia, Albania and Bulgaria 2015, with 70 percent having arrived in stopped at the Idomeni cross-border to provide food and non-food Greece. Every day, between 5,000 and point, on the Greece-Macedonia relief assistance, as well as 8,000 people embark on the arduous border, with no clear option. shelter, sanitation, medical care journey from Greece northwards. and translation services to over Few refugees and migrants have gone 51,000 people. With temperatures dropping, the back to Athens as they await any sea route taken by most refugees update on the border opening. It is With Caritas and our local from Turkey to Greece is increasingly unclear if these refugees and migrants partners, we are able to perilous. Yet refugees continue risking will ask for asylum in Greece, as they build upon local knowledge, their lives to reach safe havens. In 2015, will likely be denied, or if they will relationships and perspectives, some 2,000 Syrians drowned in the agree to go back to their country of as well as our shared Mediterranean attempting to reach origin, as offered by the International experience in emergency relief, European shores. Others have become Organization for Migration (IOM). They ability to influence decision victims of trafficking, are subjected to are likely to wait close to the site in makers, and complementary abuse en route, or both. Some spend case opportunities arise for them to technical expertise. With access their life savings or take on massive cross. Recent information also indicates to a large, committed network debt for a new start. Refugee families that some refugees may decide to stay of thousands of volunteers from need food, water, sanitation, protection in Athens and participate in the newly different faiths, we are able to from the elements and legal advice. announced program for asylum in respond quickly, and adapt as another EU country. However, access to needed, to the needs facing our This situation is fluid and changing this program remains limited as many world’s most vulnerable. rapidly, requiring social service of the related “hotspots” exist only on agencies to quickly adapt. A recent paper at present.