Introduction

In May 2015, at the beginning of the so-called ‘refugee crisis’, the European Commission devised the ‘hotspot approach’ to help Member States at the Southern EU-borders manage increasing migratory pressure. Under this approach, European Union (EU) agencies (European Asylum Support Office [EASO]), European Border and Coast Guard Agency (EBCG, FRONTEX), and Europol started to work on the ground with Greece and Italy in the identification and registration processes of newly arrived migrants and asylum applicants. The objective of this was to ensure that all new arriving persons were immediately registered and pointed, as soon as possible, to the correct direction (that is, application for asylum, return to their home country or relocation to another EU-country), and as such to avoid so-called ‘secondary movements’ to other European countries.

Greek reception and identification centres (RICs) opened their doors in early 2016, together with the Greek government adjusting its asylum legislation (Law L4375/2016), formalising the existence of RICs. As an extension to the EU-Turkey agreement, which was finalised on 20 March 2016, five new first reception centres were created on the Aegean islands of Lesvos, Kos, Chios, Leros and Samos, all in close proximity to the EU-Turkey border. The islands’ geography posed an additional movement restriction for the arriving refugees, extra to the one created by the police and authorities on arrival. The initial examination of their asylum application could lead to relocation to the Greek mainland or abroad in case of proved vulnerability, or deportation to Turkey in case of rejection.

International organisations, NGOs and human rights observatories have repeatedly shed light on the living conditions in Greek RICs (see for example, ECRE, 2016; FRA, 2016; HRW 2016, 2018; Avocats Sans Frontieres, 2019), and scholars have demonstrated the human rights abuses in these hotspots and the effects of the living conditions there on the refugees’ physical and mental health (Rozakou, 2017; Jones, 2019; Boccagni and Righard, 2020).

Social work in Greek reception and identification centres

Professionals working in these centres include, among others, asylum authorities, security staff and social workers. The work of frontline social workers in providing services for refugees and asylum seekers is generally considered difficult and stressful (Robinson, 2014).