Asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos are each there for different reasons, according to Caritas.
One Afghan father says he is protecting his daughter after a rival tribe claimed her as a bride price in a dispute. Another has seen his own father tortured and killed and knows he is on the same list. A third is looking for medical treatment to prevent his blindness from deteriorating.
There are 42,000 asylum seekers trapped on the five hotspots on the Greek islands. They have fled persecution in Afghanistan, Iran, and Syria. Half of them live in and around Moria Camp on Lesbos, with 20,000 people in a camp intended for just 3000. Half of the camp’s population is under 18. Families live without tents. Sanitation and health services are minimal. Mud and rubbish run through it. One thousand children traveling without a guardian have no protection, no education, no healthcare. Many of them are sleeping out in the open.