Leros child migrants in protest
Dozens of immigrant children who arrived on the island of Leros from neighboring Turkey just over a week ago are refusing food to protest their housing conditions, a medical charity has told Agence France-Presse. The 121 would-be migrants, mostly Afghans aged between 10 and 16, have been accommodated in a hotel and another building but the conditions are «wretched,» an official of Medecins du Monde (MDM), also known as Doctors of the World, told AFP. «For the past week the 121 children have been accepting food once every three days,» MDM board member Philippos Olympitis was quoted as saying. Olympitis said that the children’s health was not in danger. The children are part of a large wave of migrants – some 860 – to have arrived on the island since the beginning of the year. The charity appeared to defend efforts by local authorities. «(They) are doing all they can but the rapid increase in immigrant arrivals – and particularly unattended children – on Greek shores demands urgent mobilization,» Olympitis told the agency.
