When Does the Persecution End?

When Does the Persecution End?

The need to humanize refugees' never-ending abuse and desperation

Aris Messinis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Michael Tamba is a survivor.

After enduring torture in the Congo and a risky boat ride from Turkey, Tamba reached sanctuary on the Greek island of Lesbos, home of Europe’s biggest refugee camp — Camp Moria — Tamba’s most traumatic experience yet.

Tamba is one of 9,000 refugees living in Camp Moria, an island with enough space to accommodate 3,100 people. 

After spending almost a year at Camp Moria, Tamba attempted to commit suicide by drinking a bottle of bleach; however, due to its crowded population, he was discovered and treated by aid workers.

“Eleven months in Moria, Moria, Moria,” Tamba said. “It’s very traumatic.”

Tamba is a survivor, but he is not alone. Life in Camp Moria is even worse for women, who experience an abuse that is all-encompassing and inescapable.

Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

The New York Times interviewed a female refugee who came to Camp Moria from Afghanistan. She fled her abusive husband and asked reporters not to print her name for fear of being found by her husband who tried to kill her — the reason why she sought asylum. Nameless, the woman is one of many who are desperately trying to survive on the island’s camp.

Before arriving to Moria, the woman said she was sold to a smuggler and was then imprisoned in a room with no light, no food, and where she was raped for a week. It’s hard to imaging, but the article says when she came to the refugee camp, “things got worse.”

“I wanted to kill myself when I saw the situation,” she said.

Tamba, the unnamed woman, and all 9,000 refugees trapped in Camp Moria are survivors — survivors who have survived long enough. They need help — adequate and much-needed help.  

Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

One refugee said she and the other refugees "are not seen as humans," and that must change in order for real action to occur.

Unfortunately, this problem is not new, but it is time refugees’ voices were heard.

Despite the “hardened” attitudes countries have developed towards refugees, we must realize refugees are people too, and in order to realize this, we must hear from them directly.

There is power in narrative, lived experiences, and personal memories, and in order to call attention to this problem, mainstream media must call attention to this abuse of power as well as hold nation’s accountable for their actions. By letting refugees tell their stories, we are giving them back their voice, something they have been stripped of for far too long, and through this process, real change can occur.

By hearing their stories and seeing the pain they suffer each and every day, people can connect and sympathize with refugees, realizing that they are in fact, real people trying to create a better life and willing to die in order to do so.

Like the New York Times article, Anne Firth Murray gives women a voice and helps humanize them in From Outrage to Courage: Women Taking Action for Health and Justice. We need more narratives like these in order to call attention to the harsh realities of refugee camps and make the public care.  

Murray writes, “The often crowded conditions, compounded by a lack of access to safe drinking water, poor sanitation, inadequate or nonexistent medical facilities, and the degraded health of the refugees can make the camp an unhealthy place to live” (146).

Credit Petros Gianna kouris/Associated Press

In Camp Moria, the overcrowded camp leaves refugees waiting in line for 12 hours a day for moldy food. There are about 80 people per shower and 70 per toilet, according to the New York Times.

If the terror refugees experience in their home countries and the danger they face while migrating isn’t enough, surviving refugees are met with even more hardships once they reach these supposed “sanctuaries” like Camp Moria. Once refugees reach camps, they are not guaranteed safety.

Thousands of refugees are drowned out by powerful figures who prioritize their own citizens rather than helping those who risk their lives to try and create a better life for themselves and their families.

As wars consume Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria, civilians are forced to flee their homes in fear and desperation. Countries, like the United States and the European Union, have implemented stricter migration laws to put a cap on the amount of refugees who seek asylum at their borders.

On Monday, September 17, 2018, United States President Donald Trump announced his plan to cap the number of refugees that can be relocated to the United States next year at 30,000 — the lowest cap a president has placed on refugee programs since 1980.

Elaborate and unrealistic application processes have been created in order to further deter and prolong those residing in camps from being moved to other locations throughout the European Union.

Camp residents are left feeling “trapped in an endlessly bureaucratic asylum application process that they do not fully understand.”

Daphne Tolis for NPR

In 2015, the European Union was struggling to handle the mass amounts of refugees seeking asylum, but on March 18, 2016, an agreement with Turkey and the EU was created with the hope of easing its migrant crisis. As of then, refugees taking routes from Turkey were to be “sent back.” Refugees already residing in Greek camps have the potential to be moved, but only if they jump through the endless legal hoops to complete their application process, and even then, there is no guarantee.

“Sexual assaults, knife attacks and suicide attempts are common,” writes Patrick Kingsley, a New York Times international correspondent. “Few residents feel safe. … Sexual violence is also common. The International Rescue Committee has assessed over 70 people since March who have reported being sexually abused at (Camp Moria). Women say they are wary of walking alone through the camp at night.”

Joanna Kakissis for NPR

Women are forced to endure “gender-specific forms of violence” while residing in refugee camps as they are the “invisible” (Murray 147) individuals who are left out of plans to ensure their safety. Their bodies are abused and taken advantage of as they are raped, forcibly impregnated, and left without access to proper care and protection.

At Camp Moria, another unnamed and essentially “invisible” woman said she was walking back to her tent at night and found herself lost. As she was trying to find her way, a man grabbed her from behind and raped her.

The nameless woman reported the attack to the police, but she was sent back to the camp, and no action was taken to find her assailant.

“I wanted to kill myself,” she said.

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of their stories — refugees remain hopeful for a better future, but judging by the current efforts to help, all they have is hope. 

Isaac Hielo, a refugee from Eritrea, watched his family die from AIDS. He is now residing in Camp Moria. Despite his circumstances, he still hopes for a better future.

“You’re thinking about the future,” Hielo said. “Tomorrow is another day, yes?”

Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

As they wait, refugees imagine a day where they are no longer surviving. 

That day is now. They've waited long enough. 

Refugees, no matter their reason for leaving, are seeking opportunity, freedom — they are looking for a fair chance at survival. 

It is time we hear their stories.

They are warriors. They have suffered enough. 

They are humans, and it is time they are treated as such.

It is time they are given a fair chance to live and do more than just survive. 

Relevant course reading: Murray, Anne Firth. From Outrage to Courage: Women Taking Action for Health and Justice. Common Courage Press, 2008.