Since 2014, immigrants from
Syria, as well as
Afghanistan,
Pakistan and other parts of the
Middle East and
South Asia began to flock to Idomeni to enter the
North Macedonia via the Greek border. As North Macedonia and its northern neighbor
Serbia are not in the
Schengen Area, some refugees prefer this route to reach countries such as
Germany and
Sweden. Re-entering the Schengen Area from
Serbia may result in arrest and possibly being held in
Croatia or
Hungary which are closer to their preferred immigration destinations, notably Germany. In 2015, North Macedonia began guarding its borders with military force to prevent migrants from entering the country since Serbia too closed its borders. The transit camp at Idomeni, built in 2015 by
Médecins Sans Frontières and the
UNHCR to provide basic support for up to 6000 refugees daily, rapidly became a longer-term residential camp. The number of refugees at Idomeni has reached more than 15,000. On 24 May 2016, Greek authorities began relocating refugees from the Idomeni camp to processing facilities in and around
Thessaloniki.
Migrant living conditions in Idomeni Refugees into Greece have faced severe human rights violations in the past two decades. Due to the collapse of their economy following the 2008 financial crisis, the country no longer had enough funds or resources to support the massive influx of refugees fleeing the wars in the Middle East. Many camps lack electricity, sanitation, and adequate food supply, leading to sickness amongst their dwellers. Idomeni Camp is suitable to house 1,500 refugees, but an estimated 13,000 people lived there during the period in which the minors lodged. Additionally, the minors complained that there was little to no sanitation. Precedent in the European Court of Human Rights establishes that countries are required to aid unaccompanied foreign minors, and that the migrant’s fragile status as a minor supersedes their status as an illegal immigrant. NGO
Médecins Du Monde oversaw all medical treatment in the camp, as the camp did not receive governmental support. Following a multitrauma injury to an eight-year-old child in the camp, several shortcomings in the medical facilities were uncovered. Most notably: • There was no emergency trauma kit • The oxygen tank was empty • There was no backup device for fluid resuscitation if veins were inaccessible for an IV • There was no pediatric cuff for the blood pressure reader • There were no IV antibiotics on-site. Although the camp identified and has begun to rectify these failures, the under-supported medical staff leaves the camp volatile. ==References==