Greece: Our work in 2018 at a glance

Greece: Our work in 2018 at a glance

The sea and the land migratory routes from Turkey to Greece remain dangerous and even deadly, while people continue to get separated, leaving families in anxiety and despair.
Article 13 February 2019 Greece

In 2018, according to official data, 174 people have died or went missing in the Aegean Sea and 39 perished while crossing the Evros River.

The ICRC has collected more than 300 requests from families looking for relatives potentially missing in various shipwrecks in the Aegean Sea since 2015. Almost half of these cases (45%) concern children.

Detention of migrants

The administrative detention of migrants is a regular practice in Greece and ensuring proper conditions remains a challenge in a number of locations. In some cases, vulnerable people, including women and children, were held for prolonged periods in inadequate facilities with limited access to basic services.

The ICRC reiterates its position: immigration detention should remain an exceptional measure and the detention of migrant children should be brought to an end.

Highlights of our work in Greece:

6,985
hygiene kits provided to detained migrants to ease their daily life
110
Hellenic Coast Guards officers were trained in procedures for the management of the dead
416
families opened tracing requests as they searched for family members with whom they lost contact

For more information please read our overview of activities in 2018.

greece_overview_of_activities_2018.pdf