In a remote area adjacent to Vathy, the capital of the Greek island of Samos, lies a military base which was home to the now defunct "Closed Control Access Centre". This centre, before its move, accommodated over 4000 asylum seekers from countries including Sudan, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Palestine, amongst others.
While this camp on the Aegean Island has been heavily criticized since its inception, it did provide a makeshift place of sanctuary for refugees,
particularly women escaping gender based violence, domestic abuse, and social ostracisation.
The relocation of the camp has left all its inhabitants high and dry, relying on local organisations like the Samos Legal Center Project (SLCP) for support.
What is SLCP?
To address the critical gap in legal support on the island, Avocats Sans Frontières France established the Samos Legal Centre Project (SLCP) in 2019. Currently one of the only independent legal firms on the island, SLCP operates with support from Greek and international volunteers/partners like forRefugees, protecting refugees' rights by providing legal support to asylum seekers. Their goal is to ensure vulnerable people receive tailored support, and to safeguard their fundamental rights.
People like S, fleeing gender-based violence and with deteriorating mental health and suicidal thoughts, who received SLCP support and slowly regained her strength. "When I contacted you, I expected to be heard - and I was.” she says, “I understood my rights and felt safe to speak. Now I know I'm protected and I feel strong."
Even though SLCP is trying their best to accommodate everyone, the huge influx of asylum seekers has left them stretched too thin. It means they have to turn down cases. For the affected refugees, who have gone through unfathomable physical and mental trauma, and risked their lives to finally make it to a place of support, it feels like the light at the end of their dark tunnel has been put out.
We at forRefugees and SLCP strongly believe that no human should be stripped of their basic human rights and live a life engulfed by fear, trauma, and dehumanisation. As you’re reading this, we’re sure you feel the same.
We’re working with SLCP to give them the means to hire more interpreters and case workers and to buy medicines and other necessities. We want them to be able to help more vulnerable people like S, who deserve to feel safe and have their voices heard.
If you can help, donations of any size can make a real difference to our partners on the ground. With the growing refugee crisis, they need our help more than ever.
Want to help? Click here: https://forrefugees.org/get-involved/
