Asylum law - Reception conditions & social rights

Survivors of gender-based violence in Greece are routinely denied international protection. Decision-makers often dismiss or minimise their experiences; impose evidentiary burdens that no survivor could reasonably meet; and ignore the impacts of trauma and displacement. These practices leave survivors without protection and trapped in vicious circles of fear and insecurity. Drawing on five years of casework (2020–2025), this report demonstrates that Greece’s asylum system consistently fails to meet its obligations under international, EU, and national law toward female applicants with gender-based violence claims. Survivors encounter degrading living conditions, superficial vulnerability assessments, inaccessible medical and psychosocial support, substandard interview procedures, and deeply flawed decision-making procedures. These systemic shortcomings result in unjust rejections and expose survivors to a continued cycle of violence. As Greece adopts increasingly restrictive migration policies and civil society capacity diminishes, the situation is deteriorating. ELA’s experience shows that when survivors receive specialised, gender-sensitive psychological and legal assistance, their chances of a fair assessment increase significantly. Ensuring effective access for victims of gender-based violence and abuse to the psychosocial and legal services to which they are entitled, alongside implementing substantive reforms in the examination of asylum claims, is imperative to guarantee fair procedures fully aligned with the applicable international protection framework.