Despite being a country more known for its strict migration policies, Greece has recently become a hub for Afghan women.
In recent months, Greece appears to have welcomed more women fleeing Afghanistan than any other country. Thus, they succeeded in turning its capital city into a remote hub for Kabul’s former political scene.
In just a matter of weeks, the city has become the landing place for more than 700 of Afghanistan’s female judges, lawmakers, journalists and lawyers, together with their families. This hallmarks of a democratic society no longer welcome after the Taliban takeover in August.
Most of the women were judges, lawyers, journalists or civil right activists. Different aid programmes had helped with their evacuation and continue to cover their housing and basic needs in Athens.
They have arrived with the help of NGOs, international aid groups and several individuals who lobbied Greek leaders directly. Amed Khan, an American philanthropist, is one of those individuals. He coordinated a weeks-long effort to get dozens of female Afghanis and their families to Greece after securing almost instantaneous authorization from Greek officials
For most of the women, Greece is just a transit country. Some have already received asylum offers from Canada and Spain. Others would like to go to Germany.
For most, Greece’s door to Europe is sealed shut, surrounded by fences and surveillance equipment, monitored by an army of officers patrolling the land and sea. However, those who do make it are likely to find themselves in fortress-like camps rimmed with barbed wire and police.
The Greek Migration Ministry has even put together a media campaign to discourage Afghan citizens from coming to Greece without proper permission, outlining the austere living conditions in migrant camps.
