Humanitarianism in crisis

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HUMANITARIANISM IN CRISIS:

Lesbos, Greece

April 2016

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A

cknowledgments

This report was written by Vasileia Digidiki, MSc, PhD, a social psychologist and 

Fellow of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights. She is a native of the 

island of Lesbos and has been studying human trafficking and human rights for the 

past 7 years. The information presented in this report has been collected through 

interviews with 40 immigrants and refugees, 7 Coast Guard officers, 10 volunteers, 

3 doctors, and 40 islanders. It also reflects the personal experiences of the author, 

who volunteered and assisted migrants while in Lesbos.

The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the author are hers alone and do 

not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of the President and Fellows 

of Harvard University or the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights.

Cover photo: UNICEF France. All photographs uncredited in text are by Hector Lucero. All rights 

reserved.

The FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University is a 

university-wide interdisciplinary center that conducts rigorous investigation 

of the most serious threats to health and wellbeing globally. We work closely 

with scholars, students, the international policy community, and civil society 

to engage in ongoing strategic efforts to promote equity and dignity for those 

oppressed by grave poverty and stigma around the world.

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3 

HARVARD FXB CENTER – HUMANITARIANISM IN CRISIS: LESBOS, GREECE

G

reek

 

refuGee

 

camp

, L

esbos

 1916.                                                                                                                               c

redit

: p. p

araskevaidis

A 

crisis

 

begins

The continued geopolitical instability in north Africa and the Middle East have recently 

triggered an unprecedented flight to the Mediterranean area, unseen in scale since the 

beginning the Second World War. Greece, with its unique geomorphology and strategic 

geographic location, finds itself at the center of this crisis, disproportionately impacted by 

the volume of refugees and migrants flowing into the country. On the heels of an ongoing 

sovereign debt and economic crisis and in the midst of political instability, Greece struggles 

to assist and provide for the vast number of men, women, and children fleeing and fighting 

for survival throughout their journey towards Western Europe.

Since the beginning of 2015, the number of immigrants and refugees entering Greece 

from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and other countries of Asia and Africa has surged 

into a full-scale humanitarian crisis, reaching a record 856,743 for the year. According to 

the latest figures from Greek authorities, 132,177 people arrived in Greece from Turkey 

within the first two months of 2016. 

The main entry points into Europe for these successive migratory waves are the islands 

of the eastern Aegean Sea, in particular those islands closest to the shores of Asia 

Minor and with the most accessible coastlines. Of these, the island of Lesbos is at the 

forefront, receiving the bulk of immigrants and refugees. Figures for Lesbos alone for 

January through December 2015 place this number at 506,919 (UNCHR, 2016). During 

the same period the previous year, that number was 6,336 (Greek police data, a). Within 

the first 2 months of 2016, the number of arrivals to the island reached 76,858, showing 

no signs of a slowdown. 

t

he

 

islAnd

 

of

 l

esbos

Lesbos is the third largest island in Greece, located in the northeastern Aegean Sea, 

with a total population of 86,000 as of 2011. Its coastline stretches 199 miles, 80 of 

which face Turkey, and offers easy access to boats due to its sandy and smooth terrain. 

The closest point between Lesbos and the Turkish shores measures 6 miles, a distance 

that can be easily traversed by boat in 2 to 3 hours under favorable conditions.

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4 

HARVARD FXB CENTER – HUMANITARIANISM IN CRISIS: LESBOS, GREECE

G

reece

, J

une

 2015–f

ebruary

 2016: b

reakdown

 

of

 

men

, 

women

, & 

chiLdren

 

amonG

 

sea

 

arrivaLs

 (unhcr)

1 

The Greek genocide was the systematic ethnic cleansing of the Christian Ottoman Greek from Anatolia.

2 

7 Coast Guard Officers were interviewed for this report.

Historically, the island of Lesbos has been a refuge to those fleeing persecution. In 

1916, an estimated 42,783 Greek refugees (Ministry of Welfare, 1920) arrived on the 

island from Asia Minor, escaping the Greek genocide.

1

 A hundred years later, the island 

has once again become a beacon of hope for those fleeing persecution, this time on an 

unprecedented historical scale. Despite the economic and political instability crippling 

the country, Greece continues to welcome refugees and immigrants daily without racial 

or religious discrimination and without bias, providing perhaps the only safe haven in the 

whole of Europe. 

s

tAtistics

 

The first warning signs of the crisis appeared in early 2013, when the number of 

immigrants and refugees entering the island via the Aegean Sea surpassed 3,793, 

doubling the figures from the previous year (Greek police data, 2016). Startling as this 

increase was, the Greek Coast Guard was for the most part able to effectively manage 

the influx. This was due in part to the comparatively low number of crossing attempts 

and to a clear mandate by the Greek government to enforce border control. 

According to Coast Guard testimonies,

2

 no incidents of capsized boats or loss of lives 

were documented during these patrols and interventions. However, growing instability 

and conflict in Syria and the surrounding region led to ever increasing daily attempts 

to cross the Aegean into Greece, rendering the Coast Guard impotent in its attempts 

to patrol the borders or provide assistance to boats in distress, inevitably resulting in 

increased loss of life.

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