MORIA

On this International Women's Day I'm thinking about the thousands of women at Moria who struggle every day against the odds to stay healthy, feed their children, keep their dignity and survive to see a better day.

More than 2,000 refugees and migrants, holding their belongings, gathered at the main port of the island of Lesvos on Tuesday afternoon, following a rumor that a passenger ferry would transport them to the mainland.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged Greece on Feb. 7 to increase efforts to address "alarming" overcrowding and precarious conditions for asylum seekers and migrants staying on the five Aegean islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros.

The Greek government on Wednesday announced plans to set up five closed pre-departure centers for migrants on the Aegean islands of Samos, Chios, Lesvos, Kos and Leros.

Five closed pre-departure centers for migrants are expected to open on the Aegean islands of Samos, Chios, Lesvos, Kos and Leros, with details to be announced by government spokesman Stelios Petsas on Wednesday. 

The centers are to host no more than 5,000 people each and are expected to replace the open camps such as Moria and Vathy. 

Nearly 800 migrants reached the islands of the eastern Aegean in the space of 48 hours, according to official figures made public on Wednesday.

A total of 795 migrants arrived on Lesvos, Chios and Samo on Tuesday and Wednesday, as human traffickers continue to exploit the good weather to intensify their activity. 

Greek authorities have transferred about 570 migrants from an overcrowded camp to the island of Lesbos, officials said. A regular ferry left Lesbos on Sunday night, transporting migrants living at Camp Moria, Kathimerini reports.

Authorities say it is part of a plan to reduce overcrowding at the camp, where about 13,000 people live in a space designed for 3,000.

Jan Ali Razaiem said he made the long journey from his home in Afghanistan to Greece for a better future for his two sons. Instead, he has been forced to settle for the squalor of Moria, a filthy overcrowded migrant camp on the island of Lesbos where fights over food are common, violence is rife and he is forced to share a small tent with 16 people.

A delegation of cardinals from the Vatican arrived on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos on Wednesday to visit the state reception facility for migrants near the village of Moria.

An asylum-seeker has been found dead near Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesvos, according to reports on Wednesday.

Reports say it appeared the victim had been struck with a sharp object, though this has not yet been confirmed.

No more details were available about the identity of the victim.