Last week, two out of the 43 apartment buildings in refugee settlements, which were deemed unsafe, were demolished. The event was covered somewhat jubilantly in the media: “A new era for refugees”, “A milestone for the refugee world.”
Partially, from a social perspective, it is a positive development. Outdated structures that did not meet people’s needs and did not provide the required quality of life (some didn’t even have elevators) are being replaced with new apartments – hopefully, constructed with better materials, modern standards, and construction oversight to achieve the set goal. “We have undertaken the moral obligation to ensure safe and decent living conditions for our compatriots who are experiencing the consequences of illegal occupation,” said the Minister of Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, through whose efforts the “ktiZO” project was promoted.
So, a new era has begun for refugees. However, upon closer examination, it can be read differently, not as a joyful event: The temporariness upon which refugee settlements were built half a century ago is now officially becoming permanent. One generation has already passed, and people born within these settlements, initially going up and down the stairs of apartment buildings as play, then as exercise, and finally out of necessity, are now in middle age. Soon, the childhood exercise may become an impossibility, with the prospect of access being lost. Certainly, the stairs are not the only or most significant problem. It is indicative, though, of the passing of time, changing needs, and lost hope.
This is not the first time that apartment buildings in refugee settlements have been demolished and new ones built. What is happening for the first time is the contribution of the tenants themselves to the construction, as they will become owners once they obtain title deeds. The state will invest 130 million euros over a horizon of 10 years to replace the 43 apartment buildings, and the illusions will come to an end. The relentless struggle will continue (in words), and one generation will succeed another in the settlements, which will gradually cease to be refugee settlements. Already, with the acquisition of titles, ownerships are changing hands.
Perhaps this is the era we welcomed on Friday. The end of temporariness. A temporariness symbolized by shoddy constructions that degrade the living conditions of refugees. The government now feels the moral obligation to ensure decent living conditions for people who have lost their homes and properties. It can no longer use temporary housing as an excuse.
