EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Every year tens of thousands of asylum seekers and migrants arrive in Greece, the southeastern border of the European Union.1 In 2009, 36,472 irregular migrants were arrested at the Greek-Turkish land and sea borders.2 Many have left unstable or war-torn countries or are escaping persecution, human rights violations or extreme poverty. Afghans are the most numerous among the new arrivals, followed by Iraqis, Somalis, Palestinians, and Pakistanis. Unaccompanied minors and families are increasingly among those making the journey. Lacking legal ways to travel to Europe migrants and asylum seekers alike are forced to use the services of smugglers and thus often fall victims of exploitation or violence by criminal networks. Once they arrive in Greece irregular migrants and asylum seekers are systematically detained. They are kept in detention centers located along the eastern Greek borders or in other detention facilities, such as police stations. According to the law they can be detained for a period of up to 6 months. Most are released within a few weeks and are given a written order to leave the country within thirty days. From August 2009 to May 2010, MSF provided psychosocial support to detained migrants and asylum seekers in three detention centers: Pagani in Lesvos, Filakio in Evros and Venna in Rodopi. At the same time, MSF raised concerns with the authorities, urging them to improve living conditions and services provided in the detention centers. With this report MSF aims to raise awareness and express concerns about the impact of the current detention system on the mental health and wellbeing of migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Greece. The report documents the unacceptable living conditions in the three detention centers where MSF intervened and presents data from psychological counseling sessions as well as individual testimonies. It shows that detention can exacerbate existing symptoms and contribute to new traumas and psychological distress. The report often cites what newly arriving migrants told MSF teams about their experiences in detention.