Lack of psychological care
Many of the detained migrants and asylum seekers have experienced traumatic events in their countries of origin or during the
trip. They have left their familiar surroundings and are now faced with insecurity, anxiety and fear in a detention environment.
Psychological counseling should therefore be considered as an integral part of the health care provided to them. This need was
also raised by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.43
In Greece psychosocial support has only occasionally44 been included in the services provided to migrants and asylum seekers in
detention centers.
In response to this gap, MSF decided to implement a psychosocial support intervention in three detention centers: Pagani
in Lesvos, Filakio in Evros and Venna in Rodopi.45 The main aim of MSF’s support was to address the psychosocial needs of
asylum seekers and migrants, and to urge authorities to include psychosocial support in the health care services provided in the
detention centers.
MSF psychosocial support activities in Greek detention centers included: trust building and screening sessions, individual
and group counseling sessions, referrals of patients to psychiatric services and play therapy sessions.46 MSF also distributed
information material,47 and conducted sensitization sessions with detention centers’ staff to raise awareness regarding migrants’
psychosocial needs and the nature of MSF’s intervention.
© MSF
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