PICTURED: Inside Greece's bleak makeshift refugee camps ahead of new deportation rules
Many refugees in Greece have had to set up makeshift camps in lieu of official temporary residences. Here, migrants have set up a large campsite on an abandoned farm near the makeshift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece.
The United Nations confirmed that more than one million refugees and migrants reached the continent by sea since the start of 2015. This means Greece is bearing the brunt of an influx of migrants due to its large number of entry points by the sea.
UN data shows that 35% of the refugees arriving by sea are children. However, 45% of all sea arrivals are men. Women are the smallest demographic to make it to Europe by boat.
Of those who did make it to Greece, many have had to set up these makeshift camps while their applications for asylum are processed as Greece is unable to provide temporary accommodation for everyone.
The migrants are living off handouts and what they can get from rations.
But over the last year, news agencies from BBC to the Daily Mail have all reported that refugees are turning to boiling and eating grass, out of sheer hunger.
Many migrants are hoping to move through Greece and make it to Germany for a new permanent residence.
However, thousands are blocked from leaving Greece near the Macedonian border. This is because Macedonia completely closed its border with Greece — a key transit point for refugees seeking to enter the rest of Europe.
Greek officials estimate that now more than 40,000 refugees are trapped in Greece.
Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said his country is becoming “a warehouse of souls.”
But this is all set to change as of April 4, when the agreement between the EU and Turkey comes into force. The agreement allows Greece to send back migrants that either do not apply for asylum or fail in their claims.
The EU and Turkey deal also means that for every Syrian migrant arriving in Greece, one will be sent back to Turkey while one Syrian in Turkey will be resettled in the EU. Migrants are protesting ahead of the move — here they are with their mouths taped stage a protest at a makeshift camp.
In Chios, Greece, 800 people broke out of a detention centre, while migrants blocked the highway during a protest near the Greek-Macedonian border, near the town of Polykastro, Greece on Saturday (as below).
The Greek government’s migration spokesman, Giorgos Kyritsis, said on Sunday that the government predicts violence from migrants when the country starts deporting them back to Turkey.
Kyritsis, told the Observer newspaper: "We are expecting violence. People in despair tend to be violent."
Greece could also see a wave of self-harm from migrants who may be deported. Mustafa, a Syrian refugee told Agence France-Presse: “If they make me go back to Turkey I’ll throw myself and my family into the sea. We went from hell to hell.”
However, the Greek government’s migration spokesman, Giorgos Kyritsis said: "The whole philosophy of the deal is to deter human trafficking [into Europe] from the Turkish coast, but it is going to be difficult and we are trying to use a soft approach. These are people have fled war. They are not criminals."
![However, the Greek government’s migration spokesman, Giorgos Kyritsis said: "The whole philosophy of the deal is to deter human trafficking [into Europe] from the Turkish coast, but it is going to be difficult and we are trying to use a soft approach. These are people have fled war. They are not criminals."](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-51671430,width-700,height-525,imgsize-2793936/however-the-greek-governments-migration-spokesman-giorgos-kyritsis-said-the-whole-philosophy-of-the-deal-is-to-deter-human-trafficking-into-europe-from-the-turkish-coast-but-it-is-going-to-be-difficult-and-we-are-trying-to-use-a-soft-approach-these-are-people-have-fled-war-they-are-not-criminals-.jpg)
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