Inside Greece’s Refugee Camps, Gender-Based Violence Is Built Into the System

Since you posted this on both links to the article, I'll just go ahead and paste my response.

The article makes a great case that the system propagates gender based violence. Here are just a few of the points to support that claim:

In 2020, the Greek government introduced mandatory registration for organizations seeking to operate inside the camps. The process — costly and discretionary — effectively pushed out most independent groups, forcing them to work on the margins of the system. The result has been a double vacuum: fewer services for camp residents, and less independent monitoring of what happens inside.

Despite Greece receiving over €400 million in EU funds earmarked for asylum and integration, the money has gone into control infrastructure rather than improving living conditions.

As early as 2018, Amnesty International documented the specific risks faced by women in Greek camps, including the danger of simply taking a shower or using the bathroom, due to the absence of locks and adequate lighting. Out of 622 cases of gender-based violence reported to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in 2017, at least 30% had occurred after women arrived in Greece.

Access to medical and psychological care is one of the most critical gaps, as it is often the first point of contact through which cases of gender-based violence come to light.

On June 12, 2026, the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum entered into force. The package of rules governing the management of incoming migration flows has, as the European Council on Refugees and Exiles has noted, narrowed access to asylum and significantly lowered human rights standards.

Each European country has implemented the Pact through its own national legislation. In Greece, the approved legislative package tightens border control and expands the use of administrative detention, reinforcing the punitive approach that already produces violence and vulnerability in the camps.