asylum procedures. In the same way, a suddenly expedited interview both undermines their
right to legal counselling and can lead to people attending an interview without being prepared.
The population can generally not rely on the wait times prior to asylum interviews or their
asylum decision. This uncertainty has a profound impact on individuals in the CCAC and
contributes to the feeling of being detained. The changes further exacerbated this dynamic due
to the lack of transparency or information on when issues would be resolved. In this example of
waiting for asylum procedures and interpreters, the ignorance of the authorities and ignorance
projected onto the population in the CCAC are intertwined. Moreover, the authorities ignore the
way different wait times for different populations may contribute to divisions within the CCAC.
This contributes to detention as people may feel socially isolated or unsafe.
© Samos Advocacy Collective
After arrival to the CCAC and during the asylum procedures, people also wait to access medical
and psychosocial support and assessment. There has not been a permanent state (EODY)
doctor within the CCAC for over a year. Instead, people rely on access to MSF, who launched an
emergency response to the severe lack of state medical support, and a volunteer state doctor
who visits on an ad hoc basis, around 2 afternoons per week (15). As a result, medical
assessments reportedly either do not take place or are described as ‘rushed’ and like a ‘tick box’
exercise (15). For example, a survivor of human trafficking who was suffering from severe
stomach pain and gynaecological issues was not assessed by an EODY doctor until a month
after their arrival to the CCAC (15). This treatment is not permissible in any carceral setting and in
this context further contributes to the degree and intensity of detention. Medical assessments
are necessary foremost as a matter of basic rights, but also in order to identify ‘vulnerable’
individuals whom the Greek authorities accept should not be confined to the CCAC (36). Greek
law provides that a vulnerability assessment should be undertaken at registration; nonetheless,
most
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