13 May 2016

“Does it help that we are making this video? Will it change something?,” asks a single mother from Afghanistan with a 10 year old boy, wondering whether her testimony on the difficulties she is facing as a refugee in Greece will ever lead to a change of circumstances.

Even though single mothers with underage children are extremely vulnerable and therefore entitled to special treatment to ensure maximal and appropriate protection, this mother has faced nothing but difficulties along the way. These difficulties exclude her from being integrated in a society where she constantly finds barriers instead of the application of her rights that should allow her to build up a future. In a campaign by the Greek Forum of Refugees, refugees explain the particular difficulties they face in their life in Greece, ranging from racism and xenophobia to lack of healthcare and even detention.

By disclosing the daily struggles of refugees, the #RefugeesVoice campaign aims to promote information on the rights of refugees and to denounce the violations of rights that hinder their integration into Greek society. All the interviews are combined with essential information on the refugees’ fundamental rights in EU and Greek law.


This article appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 13 May 2016. You can subscribe to the Weekly Bulletin here.