THIS IS NOT MY COUNTRY

I HAVE MOVED

2006-12-14T13:53:00.000+02:00

I moved a long time ago but some blogs only allow comments from people's blogger accounts. So if you have come here via one of my comments, please note that I am now here.

THE RIGHT PASSPORT

2006-05-12T15:22:00.001+03:00

Another article on the difficulties facing people who come to Greece legally, with contracts or scholarships, when trying to wade through the enormous bureaucratic mess that is so evident here. When I read these stories I thank my lucky stars that I was born in England. When I had to go and let people know I was here, I waited in a long queue for alien registration. At some point, I checked that I had my passport with me. As soon as I had got the thing in my hand, I was plucked out of the queue, led to an office, and dealt with by a very polite and efficient woman. I was out of the place in ten minutes flat. I was elated that I had succeeded to achieve the one task I had set for myself that day (this is one of my survival strategies for living in Greece: never set out to do more than one thing per day). I cannot imagine how I would have reacted if I had been treated in the way that non-EU citizens are. I grew up confident of my rights and expecting to be treated with respect by everyone. For the most part I am treated well here but I have a sneaky suspicion that this has a great deal to do with my passport.

STREET VENDORS

2006-05-12T15:22:00.000+03:00

Another blow to those trying to make a living for themselves here in Greece. Immigrants who have licences to sell their goods at outdoor venues will no longer be able to renew them. The new legislation will only allow EU and Greek citizens to have these licences. The immigrants who are affected by this law are legal, they pay taxes and national insurance. In the Athens News, two of the street vendors speak out: "There are only two application requirements that we cannot fulfil - a Greek identity card and proof that we have served in the Greek military," says Hammed Adekola. "I have been legal selling my goods [handbags and electrical items] at open-air markets in Athens since 1998. I do not understand why the government now wants to ban us from the markets. If the law is not changed, it will be bad for me and for my family." Elvis Ekhaguosa, vice-president of a local Nigerian community organisation, says he has had a licence to sell his wares at the market since 1996, accuses the government of discriminating against immigrants. "I am urging the government to reconsider," he says. "We have children and families and are upright citizens. We don't understand why we should be deprived of the right to work... I have been living in Greece for 18 years with proof. I should not be barred from the markets because I do not have citizenship." They are joined in their protest by Athens city council member Yvette Jarvis, who said, "What this new law means is that they will no longer be allowed to continue working, which means they will not be able to fulfil their social insurance requirement," explains Jarvis. "This means that when the time comes for them to renew their residence permit, they will be deemed illegal because they will not meet the mandatory social insurance requirement. And also the [immigration] law does not allow immigrants to change the type of employment easily... so there are lots of conflicting issues." The government stance is that the municipalities had no legal right to issue the permits in the first place but they are looking into it. That's comforting isn't it? If these permits were not supposed to be handed out to non-EU immigrants, why not look into changing the law in favour of doing so. After all, there is an anti-discrimination clause in the Greek constitution. It seems we take one step forward and two steps back when it comes to minority rights. What on earth do they expect immigrants to do now they seem to be losing another means of making a living? It seems to me that this is just another step in making life so difficult for them in Europe that they will be forced to leave. I would like to add my thanks and support to Kathy Tzilivakis at the Athens News for making a determined and sustained effort to keep minority rights in the spotlight. Full article below.

ANOTHER DEATH

2006-05-12T15:21:00.002+03:00

From Kathimerini A probe has been launched into claims by Afghan migrants that a 15-year-old fellow national was beaten by coast guards at the port of Patras and that a 21-year-old Afghan subsequently died of shock, authorities said yesterday. The two young men were part of a group of Afghans who tried to sneak into a truck due to board a ferry to Italy on Sunday evening but were spotted by coast guards who then chased them and beat the younger man, members of the group testified. According to the migrants, who have been living in a camp near the port, the 21-year-old died of shock upon seeing the alleged beating of the youngster. The Port Authority refuted the beating charges and said the boy had sustained his injuries after jumping off some railings during the chase. A coroner said the 21-year-old died of natural causes and the boy’s injuries were the result of “impact upon a hard surface.” There have been many stories of police and coast guard brutality towards immigrants over the years. An investigation has been launched but I doubt anything will be discovered. Who are the authorities going to believe in this case? A group of illegal immigrants or the men in uniform? Whatever the truth is, another young man is dead. While we continue to treat immigrants like criminals and worse, like animals, more people will be beaten, killed, rounded up, imprisoned in containers, stripped of their basic human rights and forgotten. And we call ourselves civilised?

BLOG AGAINST SEXISM

2006-05-12T15:21:00.001+03:00

We only get one day out of 365 and it's on March the 8th. International Women's Day and Global Women's Strike Day. I will be on strike that day and I hope all you women will be too. Men... for one day you get to do it all. So go over to vegankid and add your committment to Blog against Sexism.

Technorati Tags: Blog against Sexism

BLOG AWARDS

2006-05-12T15:21:00.000+03:00

Although nominated for the 2nd European Weblog Awards, along with Mel and SeaWitch, we didn't make the finalists list. I'm trying not to blubber. As far as I can see, there are no Greek blogs in the lists. Shame. Voting is underway here.

Technorati Tags: european weblog awards

UPDATE LINKS

2006-05-12T15:20:00.002+03:00

THIS IS NOT MY COUNTRY is now here. I will not be updating the old place from now on. I would appreciate it if you could update your blogrolls or links with the new url as soon as you get a moment. Thank you so much. DD

Technorati Tags: personal

SELLING BABIES

2006-05-12T15:20:00.001+03:00

From ert The Bulgarian authorities broke up a five-member ring that was bringing pregnant women to Greece to give birth, while the babies were being put up for adoption illegally. Each baby was sold for 15,000 euros, while on many occasions the gang forced the women to deliver prematurely by having a c-section, so as to avoid arrest as their leave had expired. The Bulgarian police discovered 13 cases of illegal adoption just in 2004. Poor gypsy women from Bulgaria were being tempted to sell their newborns in exchange for 500-5,000 euros. In fact, in some cases, the masterminds of the ring would grant loans to their perspective victims charging exorbitant interest rates, thus forcing them to sell their babies in Greece to repay their debt. Most of the babies were sold in Athens, Volos, Katerini and Larissa over the last six years. The members of the gang are facing up to eight-year prison sentences. There are so many things wrong with this, where do you start? Who are the doctors performing these early c-sections? Who is buying these babies? How? Surely it is not enough just to arrest the ringleaders. There are many others involved in this situation. Excuse me while I bang my head on my desk... eight years for forcing women to undergo surgery and to sell their babies? Are the lives of these women and children worth so little? UPDATE: Tanner over at The News from Kisbacs links to this post and brings up another side of this story. A view from someone wishing to adopt a child. My point in the article was that these women are being forced to give up their children for money. Tanner brings up the issue of legal adoption for cash versus the current system that, as he puts it, is "adoption-in-exchange-for-bureaucratic-nightmare alongside a thriving (and criminal) black market".

Technorati Tags: trafficking

PARENTS AGAINST CHILDREN UPDATE

2006-05-12T15:20:00.000+03:00

I posted a while back about the proposed segregated schools for Romani children at a school in Aspropyrgos. That post here. Below is an open letter to the Ministry of Education from the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights and the European Roma Rights Center. It gives the background details to the case and calls on the government to do something (for a change) about this situation, These children have been unable to go to school since 2004. Three parts stood out for me in the letter: A twelve year old girl said in an interview "I go to school and they turn me away; they tell me ‘you are poor, go away." Remind you of anything? When Alpha filmed the protests non-romani parents were heard shouting “No child of yours will enter our school […]. You are not going to enter the school. I will bring 500,000 people; you will not enter here, and that’s that.” Remind you of anything? On October 12, a sign was posted stating, “The school will remain closed for the problem of the Gypsies; Wednesday 12/10/05; Parents and Guardians Association.” Fancy that. Those uppity Roma causing problems by wanting their children to go to school! Remind you of anything?

Technorati Tags: roma

ANOTHER BLOG CELEBRATION

2006-05-12T15:04:00.000+03:00

As well as moving to a new place, this blog reached 1000 comments yesterday! And guess what? SeaWitch, you wrote comment number 1000. A special shoutout to you. And here is your prize (virtual only, sadly) A dot com Diva tshirt (available for real here)

Technorati Tags: blogs, personal

CLOSED

2006-02-13T16:24:00.002+02:00

This blog is now closed. I have moved here with all the old posts, comments and all. Just like the old place but cleaner, quicker and hopefully, with less down time. Please update blogrolls or links. Thank you. See you over at the new place.

LAST POST HERE

2006-02-09T20:07:00.000+02:00

Due to having an average-sized brain and only one pair of hands, I have found that I am unable to keep two blogs running AND do all the things I need to do at my new place. So this will be my last post here. It's been a great place to be while it lasted. I guess me and blogger just couldn't be together anymore, though we are parting as friends. The old place will stay here for as long as blogger keeps it. I will be able to pop back for a visit every now and then, at least until they start tearing down the old places. I'm going to miss my first blog but I am keen to move on to better things. And if things don't work out over at wordpress, I could move back in here. Life is sweet. Comments are open on this post until Sunday. For those who haven't heard the news yet I am in my new place right here.

ANOTHER BLOG CELEBRATION

2006-02-09T19:15:00.000+02:00

As well as moving to a new place, this blog reached 1000 comments yesterday! And guess what? SeaWitch, you wrote comment number 1000. A special shoutout to you.

Technorati Tags: blogs, personal

A FAVOUR

2006-02-09T09:48:00.000+02:00

I have a favour to ask all my blog friends. Could you go over to my new home here and leave a message under the post entitled "THE FAVOUR". I just want to check that everyone can access it and that it's all working before I close this blog. Thank you very much in advance.

Technorati Tags: blogs, personal

COMMENTS

2006-02-08T22:56:00.000+02:00

All posts and comments from this blog have been set up in the new place here. Feel free to carry on your discussions over there. So far so good.

Technorati Tags: blogs

TWO PROSECUTIONS

2006-02-08T19:33:00.000+02:00

The Greek Helsinki Monitor has issued an urgent appeal to protest the Greek government's prosecution of journalists and human rights defenders. The two cases cited in the appeal are that of journalist Makis Nodaros tried for defamation after he highlighted a case of sexual exploitation, and that of Professor Takis Alexiou who I blogged about earlier this year here and here. To read the full appeal click here.

Technorati Tags: law

MIGRATION UPDATE

2006-02-08T08:49:00.000+02:00

As I said in my last post THIS IS NOT MY COUNTRY has a new home. Hopefully, I will be closing this blog on Sunday 12th February. I am turning off comments here today as a trial before I turn them off permanently. From then on, this place will remain but will not be updated. The new place is here. Please wait until Sunday before updating blogrolls or links if you have them. Today is a test to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Technorati Tags: blogs, personal

MIGRATION

2006-02-07T15:38:00.000+02:00

I made a decision. I am moving my blog to Wordpress because I am fed up with Blogger. All the outages and losing comments is really getting on my nerves. Many bloggers are advising people to move because they predict they are going to start losing blogs all over the place and then start charging for the service. This one will stay current until I am happy with how things are going. For anyone interested in how it looks at the moment click here. Bear in mind it's not finished. There is one disadvantage for those of us who like messing with html in the templates on blogger; you can't do that with the free wordpress blog. The advantages far outweigh that though. Number one for me is categories at last. Number two is automatic pings when you post new entry (for those who care) and number three greater control over comments, spam etc. I hope you all like the new look or are, at least, willing to get used to it. I'm not 100% happy design-wise but apparently they keep adding to the templates. Hopefully one will turn up that I like better. Please don't post comments over there yet. I will let you know when version one will be closing. I will not be deleting it and I'll give you all plenty of time to update those links! See you all over at my new place.

Technorati Tags: blogs, personal

MISSING CHILDREN

2006-02-06T15:02:00.000+02:00

500 children went missing from the Aghia Varvara institution between 1998 and 2002. Only 4 of the children have since been located. Where are the other 496? No-one knows. Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Juan Miguel Petit visited the country in November 2005 and reported specifically on this case and made recommendations to the Greek government. During the visit, I looked for information on the case of the approximately 500 children who went missing from the children’s institution Aghia Varvara between 1998 and 2002. I share the conclusion of the report of the Ombudsman on the case, which indicated the overall deficiencies of the institution Aghia Varvara to adequately respond to the challenging objective of the government programme set up at the time and aimed at giving protection and social care to street children. I saw the records in which children coming and going from Aghia Varvara were registered. All the elements I gathered indicate a deficiency in the design of the educational and social methodology of the programme. During my visit in Albania, the Albanian Ombudsman informed me that only 4 of the missing children from Aghia Varvara have been located in Albania. We do not know where the others are. As a preliminary suggestion, I recommend to consider the possibility of creating a mixed commission of relevant Greek and Albanian authorities, the Ombudsmen of both countries and NGOs which have worked on the case. The commission should coordinate the efforts to locate the children whose whereabouts remain unknown and identify institutional responsibilities. My perspective on this case is on the lessons that we should draw from it to prevent its recurrence in the future. For this, a more efficient and cooperative relationship between the Government and NGOs is needed to make children a recognised priority for the country beyond political, institutional and ideological disputes. He also commented on other issues: There is still need to improve the coverage of social programmes with specialised staff with specific expertise to work with foreign unaccompanied minors, street children, and victims of trafficking.The protection of unaccompanied minors is to be improved. Although the Government is making efforts in this direction, in practice unaccompanied children are too often treated as adult illegal migrants. This is particularly concerning for more vulnerable categories of unaccompanied minors, such as victims of trafficking and asylum seekers, who may end up being deported without having had the possibility to access the protection measures they are entitled to. The situation of Roma and Roma children is a concern. I visited a Roma settlement in which housing conditions and sanitation are just not acceptable. Access to health and education is limited or lacking and social programmes are not providing assistance to the community. The State should take specific measures to improve the living conditions and the possibilities of development of Roma communities to give to Roma children alternatives other than street work or prostitution as survival strategies for them and their families. My last consideration relates to the lack of an overarching institutional set up for child protection. Institutional responsibilities are spread among different ministries without a coordinating entity. Such a coordinating body is very much needed to improve the institutional capacity to respond to the problems I referred to, together with specific measures such as specialised educators and social workers, outreach programmes, community centres, and resourced shelters. The cooperation of NGOs in the implementation of these measures, which are to be framed in an overarching policy on children’s rights and child protection, is an indispensable asset. We can only imagine what has become of all those children. I cannot believe that so many could have been 'lost' and that so little effort had been made to find them. And yes, I'm going to critisise Greece about this too. If it had been 500 Greek children from an orphanage or other such institution, would it have gone unchecked? This story makes me despair for our humanity. Whatever your views of foreigners and immigrants and asylum seekers and roma and whoever else you have problems with: These are children we are talking about. 496 children. 496 children that Greece had the responsibility to protect (regardless of why and how they were here). And Greece failed them. For a country that prides itself on loving children (I assume now that that means Greek children) This is a disgrace. What is going to be done. My guess is absolutely nothing. UPDATE Here are two links to this story. Just to clarify, Aghia Varvara was a state-run institution where children were housed after being picked up by police from the streets. The Amnesty report cites 502 children missing and both articles state that little or no effort has been made to find them (in fact it was not even reported until 2003) Copy of the letter to the Greek government from the World Organisation against Torture (2004) The missing children also appear in the annual report on Greece from Amnesty International 2005

Technorati Tags: children, Greece, trafficking

JOB VACANCIES

2006-02-03T13:36:00.000+02:00

Via Athens News Despite the rising hysteria that says Greece is overflowing with immigrants, the government has announced that the country needs 57,000 more to fill vacancies in the job market, mainly in the agricultural sector. The lists of jobs have been drawn up by regional offices around Greece and will be posted at Greek consulates around the world. Workers will then be able to apply for specific jobs and, if successful, will be issued with a work visa. Kathy Tzilivakis of the Athens News writes: Greece is now ready to put in motion perhaps it's boldest and most ambitious plan to dead-bolt the back door to illegal immigration by opening the front door wider. Most of the jobs (almost 40,000) will be in central Macedonia. 45,619 of the vacancies are in agriculture (mainly picking and packing olives, grapes and vegetables), 7,962 in livestock and poultry farming and 2,001 in fishing. I know all the anti-immigration lot are going to get twitchy right about now but think about it. If there was a legal way to secure work in Europe people would take it. No-one is an illegal immigrant by choice. (Let's not get confused between people coming to Europe looking for work and those seeking asylum who often have no choice but to do so illegally). So, take a deep breath and count to ten before you respond.

Technorati Tags: Greece, immigration

EUROPEAN WEBLOG AWARDS

2006-02-02T23:41:00.000+02:00

Starfish (who is an occasional commentor here) has nominated this blog for the 2nd Fistful of Euros European Weblog Awards. Also nominated by the same person are Mel's Diner and Sovereignty of the Seawitch. Add your nominations here and I will keep you posted on the voting procedure. Thank you starfish.

Technorati Tags: blogs, Greece, personal

INSOLENT

2006-02-02T22:54:00.000+02:00

I have blogged several times about Roma issues and about the appalling situation of housing and evictions in Patras (European City of Culture 2006). I wonder what on earth this is all about and how it will it play out? Is this an attempt to stop those pesky liberals and humanitarians from trying to secure basic human rights for the Roma community . I will be watching this one with interest. Especially since useless objects are being thrown in the river! From Greek Helsinki Monitor (definition in brackets from dictionary dot com) Legal investigations are under way against the Chair of the Greek Helsinki Monitor, Panayote Dimitras, by the Head of the Appeals Prosecutor's Office of Patras, Anastassios Kanellopoulos. Panayote Dimitras and the Greek Helsinki Monitor are accused of encouraging Roma of the Makrigianni settlement to "believe that they enjoy a sui generis (a special case, a category of their own) immunity and to have thus grown insolent, as they believe they will not be punished and that they have hence reached a point of throwing useless objects into the River Glafkos".

Technorati Tags: Greece, human rights, roma

ACTION FOR ROMA

2006-02-01T19:36:00.000+02:00

Via Balkan Human Rights

The Panhellenic Confederation of Greek Roma (PACONGR) and Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) have launched a joint effort to defend the fundamental human rights of Roma by visiting the Roma settlement in the Psari, Aspropyrgos (near Athens). During the visit, the Chairman of the PACONGR Vassilis Dimitriou was interviewed by BBC television on the problems facing Roma and the objectives of the new political party “Independent Rally of Citizens with Special Self Identification – ASPIDA ROM”. Similar actions on other Roma settlements will follow.

During their visit to the Psari settlement, PACONGR and GHM noted the inhuman and degrading living conditions of the Roma, were briefed about the establishment of a segregated “ghetto” school for the Roma schoolchildren and were informed of a series of discriminatory acts against the Roma, including the use of offending stereotypes.

It was decided to record also audiovisually the unacceptable living conditions, so as to widely inform Greek society, state agencies and Members of Greek and European Parliaments. In addition, it was decided to carry out a census of the community in order to make documented demands to the state concerning their adequate housing the schooling of all school aged Romani children in mainstream public schools and not in segregated Roma-only school annexes. Lastly, it was decided to activate the relevant anti-discrimination legislation for each documented violation of its provisions against any Roma.

Technorati Tags: Greece, roma

FUSS ABOUT TRAFFICKING

2006-02-01T17:47:00.000+02:00

An excellent post by Laurelin In The Rain on a Mary Dejevsky article about the 'fuss there has been this year about the trafficking of women'. The subtitle of the article in The Independent was "How gullible does a girl have to be to follow an old man who promises a free tourist trip?" I agree with Laurelin in her response to it. She writes Firstly, Ms Dejevsky, people who are poor and desperate, as well as unknowledgable about the West, may well believe these people when they offer them a chance. It is the promise of capitalism after all, that if one seizes 'opportunity' and works hard enough that one will 'make it'. Secondly, since when was naivete or innocence a crime, and since when was rape and imprisonment a punishment for crime? Nothing a rape survivor has done/ thought makes the crime against her any less of a crime, and indifference to her suffering because of her perceived naivete is unforgivable. Read the entire post here

Technorati Tags: trafficking, women

UPDATE ON PROFESSOR ALEXIOU

2006-01-31T19:51:00.000+02:00

Via Balkan Human Rights The Journalists Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA) has written in support of Professor Alexiou, sentenced to 25 months in prison for heresy. See my post here for the full story. Professor Alexiou, founder of the Greek Rumi Committee is condemned because this Committee is considered to be a “heresy”, which poses a threat to the religion and national identity of the country. However, it is well known that the Greek Rumi Committee’s goal is solely the study of the works of the great poet and philosopher Rumi. Read the rest of the letter here

Technorati Tags: Greece, religion