Description:
In this episode of MSF Pulse we examine why many children as young as 6 years old, have reported self-harming or attempting suicide in Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesvos.

Learn more: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/article/suicide-attempts-and-self-harming-among-child-refugees-greece-msf-calls-evacuations-moria

Script:
There are thousands of children, women and men trapped in unsafe and unsanitary conditions on the island of Lesvos in Greece.

[Lesvos, Greece]

Many of them are fleeing war and violence.

But instead of receiving the care and protection they desperately need in Lesvos.

They face horrific living conditions, fear and more violence.

[Moria refugee camp, Greece]

Europe has closed its borders to these children and their families - leaving them stranded in the island’s Moria refugee camp.

This camp was built to host 3000 people. But now 9000 people are stranded there.

This kind of overcrowding causes the spread of diseases, and has a deeply negative impact on people’s mental health.

Many children treated by our medical teams, some as young as 6 years old, have reported self-harming or attempting suicide.

This is alarming behaviour for children in any country.

[Some symptoms reported by 6-to-18-year-olds include: panic attacks, anxiety, aggression and frequent nightmares]

This humanitarian disaster is a direct result of political decisions in Europe.

Decisions like the deal between the European Union and Turkey to discourage people from seeking asylum in EU countries.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO

Doctors Without Borders is providing pediatric and mental health care for people trapped in Moria camp, as well as sexual and reproductive health services.

But that is not enough to address their urgent humanitarian and medical needs.

It is time to restore human dignity and respect, and to provide safer, and humane conditions for refugees stuck in Greece’s refugee camps.



Keywords:
Moria, Lesvos, refugee camp, tents, Greece, stranded, children suicide, asylum