‘walking over bodies as every square centimetre of floor space was occupied. A few
detained persons were even sleeping in the space between the ceiling of the shower and
the roof structure’ (CPT, 2012, p. 11). In the Fylakio special holding facility, a purposebuilt environment, in 2012, 83 minors, some as young as 12 years old, were placed in a cell
less than 100m², with many juveniles sleeping on the floor in pools of water or next to
leaking sewage. At times, the number went up to 120, when children had to literally hang
out from the cell bars, pushing each other all together to get more air (Theodoropoulou,
2012). The situation was even worse during the winter months when the temperature fell
below zero and there were no heating facilities.
Lack of ventilation, limited sanitation and poor hygiene were but some of the serious
deficiencies the Greek immigration detention facilities were facing. Detained persons often
complained about the challenge of keeping themselves clean as soap and shampoo were
either not provided or in limited quantities, making conditions in overcrowding situations
dirty and malodorous. The absence of hygiene items meant that often detainees had to stay
in the same clothes for months. In many facilities, there was only one functioning toilet
and one shower, usually for more than 100 people. Due to poor maintenance, toilets were
often blocked, and the sanitary facilities were flooded with water, sewage and feces, which
were overflowing into the sleeping area of detainees. It is striking that there were no special
provisions for babies, families and young children. ‘Everyone was treated the same-like caged
animals’ (CPT, 2012, p. 16).
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