ΑΛΛΗΛΕΓΓΥΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ: ΕΞΕΛΙΞΕΙΣ ΣΤΟ ΠΕΔΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΦΥΓΙΚΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΤΑΣΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΚΛΗΣΕΙΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ

Maria Dimitrakopoulou 173 standard of living for applicants, which guarantees their subsistence and protects their physical and mental health.’ The conditions in the hotspots have been criticised repeatedly and described in detail in numerous articles. Nonetheless, conditions do not seem to have im- proved. Dangerously overcrowded reception facilities, 94 extensive use of deten- tion, lack of safe spaces for vulnerable asylum seekers and children, reports of alarming rates of sexual harassment and violence against women, and deteriorat- ing mental health among the asylum seekers due to the insecure environment and uncertainty about their future are the harsh reality on the Greek islands, where asylum seekers are kept for months while awaiting the decision on their asylum claims and potential return to Turkey under the deal. It is worth noting that, ac- cording to the Greek Police, over 37,000 people arrived on the Greek islands since the deal. 95 While Greek authorities estimate that almost 15,000 people remain on the islands as of the beginning of July 2017, the official capacity to host them, in- cluding accommodation provided through UNHCR, is less than 9,000. 96 The most significant problem is prolonged detention for minors and the fact that people stay in a facility that is designed for a short period of time and lacks the elements necessary for proper reception. Another point of concern is the dirt, bad food quality and refugees queuing for hours. Nights patrols are organized on the islands, but the police are not present. Tensions have been widely reported, with riots and security incidents triggered by different reasons, inter – ethnic tensions, sexual harassment, disputes over the food frustration etc. 97 IX. Conclusion and Recommendations Since the beginning of their function, it has been obvious that hotspots could not serve their role as a solidarity mechanism, or as centers that could facilitate the 94. UNHCR, Aegean Islands Fact Sheet, May 2017, https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ mediterranean/location/5179. 95. According to the data the Readmission Unit of the Greek Police provided Amnesty Inter- national on 28 June 2017, total number of third country nationals who arrived on the Greek islands between 20 March 2016 and 27 June 2017 was 37,270. 96. Summary statement of refugees flows to Eastern islands, 5 July 2017, http://mindig- ital.gr/index.php/45-eidiki-grammateia-epikoinoniakis-diaxeirisis-kriseon/prosfy- giko-zitima-20/1551-summary-statement-of-refugee-flows-to-eastern-aegean-is- lands-4-08-2017. 97. Human Rights Watch, “Greece: Urgent Need to Move Asylum Seekers from islands”, De- cember 21, 2017, https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/21/greece-urgent-need-move- asylum-seekers-islands?utm_source=ECRE+Newsletters&utm_campaign=549d11658f- EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3ec9497afd- 549d11658f-420538977.