Advocacy

On this page you can discover more about reports, policy briefs, joint statements and letters that Samos Volunteers has produced, signed, co-signed or supported.

POLICY BRIEF:

Samos Volunteers has joined the International Rescue Committee and 29 other organisations to warn that the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum risks failing to protect unaccompanied children at Europe's borders.

19 November 2024 | Policy Brief drafted by IRC, supported by 29 NGOs

While the EU Pact contains several safeguards to protect unaccompanied children, in reality, it’s likely to put children even further at risk. 

For example, its strong emphasis on tighter border controls will likely lead to a more aggressive response to irregular crossings, including pushbacks. Its accelerated processes, coupled with limited capacities and resources, risk failing to accurately identify unaccompanied children or their specific needs and vulnerabilities or take into consideration their best interests. And it could allow for even more children to be held in detention and for longer than before – in some cases, for up to six months. 

We’re calling for the EU and its member states to pursue ten key priorities to ensure that the rights of unaccompanied children are protected - in line with international refugee and human rights law - and create a #PactThatProtectsChildren.

Read it now:

Greek version

English version

OPEN LETTER:

Put an end to the disruption of interpretation services still undermining asylum seekers’ rights in Greece 

1 November 2024 | Open letter signed by 36 NGOs

36 NGOs sign an open letter to the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum highlighting the persistent lack of interpretation services for asylum seekers in Greece, which have been severely interrupted since May 2024. While media and civil society actors highlighted the severe shortages in interpreters and other gaps in the provision of interpretation services over the past several months, no concrete measures towards reinstating a functional interpretation system in Greek asylum procedures seem to have been put in place.

Interpretation provision in the Greek asylum and reception services has been severely disrupted since May 2024, when the previous provider of interpretation services, Metadrasi, suspended its operations due to months of delay in payment by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum (MoMA). Publicly accessible documents show that payments for work completed in December 2023 by Metadrasi, were only disbursed by the Ministry in July this year, amounting to a seven-month delay. The Ministry has yet to issue an announcement regarding the reinstatement of interpretation services, which are funded by the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund (AMIF) 2021-2027, either in connection with Metadrasi or another provider.

We urge all recipients of this letter to recognise the gravity of the situation and to take all necessary action to ensure that asylum seekers’ interpretation needs are respected by:

• Immediately reinstating interpretation services by either renewing contracts with the previous provider of interpretation services or with another provider;

• Immediately releasing a statement explaining when procedures will resume and the reasons and impact of the disruption;

• Reinstating as soon as possible all asylum processes that continue to be unavailable, particularly the lodging of subsequent applications and first-instance appeals;

• Issuing interim documents to people having received a first rejection, which will allow them to fully exercise their rights in Greece, including the right to work, to access healthcare, reception services, and cash assistance;

• Taking immediate action to reduce the backlog, which was exacerbated by the suspension, and ensuring that delays in issuing and renewing documents are reduced;

• Ensuring that all people impacted by any future disruptions of asylum procedures (a) are adequately informed of the impact on their access to the asylum procedure and other fundamental rights and (b) have access to temporary documentation protecting them from police checks and arbitrary detention;

• Coordinating with the Ministry of Health to provide immediate interpretation support in healthcare settings, particularly for urgent and emergency care.

Open Letter was organised by the Mobile Info Team.

Read it now:

Greek full version

English full version

JOINT STATEMENT:

The provision of cash assistance to asylum seekers in Greece must resume immediately.

17 September 2024 | Joint Statement drafted by Mobile Info Team

Asylum seekers in Greece have once again been denied their legal right to dignified living conditions after months of delay in cash assistance payments. This has left people without an income and unable to meet their basic needs. Beneficiaries of the cash assistance program have been informed via text that delays are occurring. However, there has been no public announcement from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum regarding the cause of the delays or how long they will last, leaving people in the dark about when to expect payments to resume.

Signatories:

• Avocats Sans Frontières France

• Equal Legal Aid

• Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid

• Greek Forum of Refugees

• I Have Rights

• Lighthouse Relief

• Mobile Info Team

• Samos Volunteers

• Second Tree

• Refugee Legal Support

• Yoga and Sport with Refugees

• Drapen i Havet

• Changemakers Lab

• Legal Centre Lesvos

• ARSIS - Association for the Social Support of Youth

• Jesuit Refugee Service Greece (JRS)

• ECHO100PLUS

• Centre for Gender Rights and Equality DIOTIMA

• HIAS Greece

Read the full statement here.

ADVOCACY REPORT:

“We feel in prison on the island.”

Unlawful detention and sub-standard conditions in an EU-funded refugee centre

30 July 2024 | Report by Amnesty International with artworks by Samos Volunteers

Although the European Commission funded new reception centers for asylum seekers on the Aegean islands promising “better conditions,” racialized people on the move living in the Samos ‘Closed Controlled Access Centre’ face obstacles accessing basic services and experience systematic, arbitrary de facto detention. The EU must ensure that the implementation of the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact does not result in similar abuses.

The report’s investigations were supported by a series of workshops hosted at Samos Volunteer’s sites in May 2024.

Download and read the full report here.

View our online exhibition of all the artworks and testimonies here.

CSO STATEMENT:

Call on MEPs to uphold fundamental rights and reject the Code

23 April 2024 | CSO Statement

Last month, we joined more than 80 organisations in calling on MEPs in the LIBE Committee to reject the Schengen Borders Code reform and give a clear signal against legislation that undermines fundamental rights.

Tomorrow, during a Plenary vote, MEPs will have a final opportunity to reject the reform and stand up for people’s rights. 129 organisations have now co-signed the statement.

Read the statement here. 

OPEN LETTER:

Against racism and discrimination

21 March 2024 | Open Letter

Today, March 21, is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Together with other organisations, we have co-signed a letter expressing our serious concerns about issues of discrimination in the European Union, including against vulnerable groups in Greece.

We call on the European Parliament to take initiatives in every possible way to bring about real change in the issues of racism and discrimination.

Read the open letter here.  

CSO STATEMENT:

Call on MEPs to uphold fundamental rights

15 March 2024 | CSO Statement

EU lawmakers have reached an agreement on the Schengen Borders Code reform, which will be voted on in the LIBE Committee next week. The reform will have devastating consequences for people in migration and racialised communities, including risks of widespread racial profiling and legalisation of internal pushbacks.

We have joined more than 80 organisations in calling on MEPs in the LIBE Committee to reject the reform and give a clear signal against legislation that undermines fundamental rights.

Read the full statement here.

CSO STATEMENT:

Call on MEPs to reject the EU Migration Pact

14 February 2024 | CSO Statement

This week, co-legislators will vote to either endorse or reject the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum. We join 160 other civil society organisations in calling for them to reject this Pact. 

In December 2023, more than 50 organisations signed an open letter to the negotiators asking for them to protect fundamental rights and preserve safeguards in the files. This letter fell on deaf ears, and the final political agreement foresees a system of deterrence, detention, racial profiling, and swift returns. All of this will have devastating consequences for the right to seek asylum in the EU, and will proliferate the failed systems that we have witnessed in frontline Member States like Greece and Italy across the bloc. 

This move entrenches a system that has been failing for almost a decade, the situations at Europe’s border - already fraught with abuses - will only worsen.

Read the full statement here.

JOINT LETTER:

“I came to be safe, but I am not safe”

6 February 2024 | Joint Letter

In 2023, LGBTQI+ asylum seekers in Greece, including on Samos, continue to be faced with unsafe accommodation, inadequate protections, and a hostile asylum process.

In a Joint Letter, informed by the LGBTQI+ community through focus groups and surveys, we call on the Greek authorities to take urgent action and adhere to the European standards. 

Read the full letter here.

JOINT STATEMENT:

Call for upholding human rights in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre

31 January 2024 | Joint Statement

Together with 19 other civil society organisations, Samos Volunteers calls on the Greek authorities and the European Commission to uphold human rights in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC).

In 2023, the living conditions in the CCAC amounted to inhumane and degrading treatment. People newly arrived at the CCAC last year were forced to sleep in spaces such as kitchens and classrooms, without beds or mattresses. They were not offered clothing and shoes, forcing many people to wear what they arrived in for extended periods. In addition, access to running water remained a recurring problem, preventing daily water needs from being met.

As we start a new year, we unite our voices to say: human rights guaranteed in 2024.

We once again call for the closure of the CCAC. In the meantime, given the urgent need for humane conditions, we call on the Greek authorities and the European Commission to respect people’s fundamental rights, including adequate accommodation, access to medical care and water.

Read the full statement here.

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