May 2019 | Reception crisis in Northern Greece: three years of emergency solutions 2.5. RECEPTION CONDITIONS 2.5.1. DIAVATA Diavata refugee camp is located 7,5km away from the centre of Thessaloniki in an industrial outskirt. It is one of the three refugee accommodation sites in mainland Greece that have been established by law (in November 2016)xli. RIS is the managing authority while ASBxlii provides site management support. EODY has a regular presence in the camp since the departure of medical NGOs such as Doctors of World and WAHA in early 2018. An ARSIS programme providing legal advice and social support to the camps’ residents has ended recently. Meanwhile, according to the UNHCRs’ protection monitoring tool of September 2018, no special services for victims of torture were available on site.xliii The camp was established in the former Anagnostopoulou military camp in order to cope with the ‘crisis’ in Idomeni and opened on 24 February 2016.xliv Its original capacity was for 2.500 persons. Since spring 2018, the camp has received undocumented new arrivals from the land borders. Once described as a role model by former Migration Policy Minister Mouzalasxlv, it is now one of the most overcrowded camps in mainland Greece. During the past three years, the camp has seen a series of protests. As of 21 September 2018, there were 816 residentsxlvi and the camp’s reported official capacity was for 936 persons.xlvii A significant percentage of the camp’s population were children (48%).xlviii Among the residents, there were also persons who were transferred in the camp in 2017 and had been subsequently granted with international protection status.xlix In 25 January 2019, the Ministry of National Defence General Secretariat of Information counted 1.357 residents.l Refugees living in the camp have to walk along the highway to reach the next bus station or a nearby super market. Other than that, there are no other local amenities near the site. The fenced area has a guarded gate. In May 2019, residents stayed in prefabs, UNHCR tents, a hand full of summer tents and two buildings. Some were housed informally in empty office prefabs without any provisions. The prefabs are constructed in rows around two buildings, one of which is used to house unaccompanied minors in one of 10 ‘safe zones’ currently existing.li The other building is used to temporarily host unregistered new https://rsaegean.org/en/reception-crisis-in-northern-greece-three-years-of-emergency-solutions 11