Monthly Report: Paréa Lesvos December 2025
- Joaquin O'Ryan
- 15 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Check out our monthly project update for December 2025 at Paréa Lesvos
The word ‘paréa’ in Greek means “company, circle of friends”: everyone is welcome in Paréa!
Located within walking distance from the CCAC (Closed and Controlled Access Camp) on Lesvos, our community centre Paréa Lesvos offers a safe space where people on the move, locals and internationals can meet and spend time in a peaceful and welcoming environment.
Paréa is run by Europe Cares responsible for the safety, major facility costs, maintenance and development of the centre. It is also a home to another 10 civil society organisations: Artists Giving Back, Boat Refugee Foundation, Collective Aid, Leave No One Behind, Makerspace Lesvos, Refocus Media Labs, Refugee Relief Doro Blancke, TerraPsy, and Yoga and Sport with Refugees. In a time of high political uncertainty and constant withdrawal of support and international attention from Lesvos, our network of partner organisations joined forces to offer people on the move a wide range of services including food and NFI distributions, legal and psychosocial support, education and social care activities. But first and foremost, we offer a sense of community and belonging.
We are one community in solidarity. Will you join us?
View of Mavrovouni Camp from Paréa Lesvos
LESVOS UPDATES
In December, Lesvos recorded 290 new arrivals and 49 departures. By the end of the month, 1,145 people* were living in the Lesvos Closed Controlled Access Center (CCAC). As both the number of arrivals and CCAC population for December show, there is an overall decrease in how many people are arriving on the island. This trend is even more significant in comparison to December 2024, with 1,310 arrivals.
Yet, human rights violations continue to occur across the Aegean islands. ABR documented 12 pushback incidents in December, affecting 336 children, women, and men on the move**. Each case is not just a statistic, but a person denied the right to seek protection under international law. Highlighting more overt attempts in Greece to normalise harmful practices preventing people from accessing asylum and that disregard international rights laws, the Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis has publicly advocated for rethinking whether pushbacks should continue to be considered illegal. However, illegal pushbacks in Greece have been recorded to be extremely violent, with cases of people being beaten and robbed**. In Lesvos alone, ABR recorded 47 pushbacks in 2025**.
On a wider EU level, December also witnessed harsher policy developments in the management of asylum. On December 8th, a set of increasingly restrictive measures were agreed on by EU countries during a Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) meeting in Brussels. This includes a new list of ‘safe countries’, where asylum claims from these countries will be denied more quickly unless special circumstances are proven. Additionally, states will be able to establish asylum processing centres and ‘return hubs’ in non-EU countries for people with unsuccessful asylum claims to be placed in whilst their departure is coordinated.
These measures build on the EU Migration and Asylum Pact that will come into effect June this year. They exemplify the continuing trend in the EU of aiming to externalise asylum processes beyond EU borders, fast-track the rejections of asylum claims, and make it significantly more difficult for people on the move to access their right to safety. These measures have been widely criticized by human rights organisations as they stress the risk of leaving people in a continued state of limbo and the unjust consequences on the rights of people on the move. As Silvia Carta from PICUM states: ‘Instead of investing in safety, protection and inclusion, the EU is choosing policies that will plunge more people into danger and legal uncertainty’***.
These policy developments will considerably exacerbate the vulnerabilities of people on the move arriving on Lesvos and other places on EU external borders.
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DECEMBER IN NUMBERS
Highlight of the month
On the 18th of December, Paréa Lesvos was full of laughter and dancing as we hosted our Winter Party. Paréa welcomed almost 400 visitors who joined in on the festivities throughout the day!
The day began with hanging up wonderful colourful decorations that visitors and volunteers had crafted together the weeks leading up to the party. At our Women’s Space, it was a special beauty day as women and girls decorated each other with glitter eyeshadow, rhinestones, and henna! Meanwhile, our partners Yoga and Sports with Refugees held an action-packed volleyball tournament outside.
At our café, our partner Refugee Assistance Doro Blanke provided croissants with every drink, while Médecins Sans Frontières offered different soda drinks to go with each lunch. After lunch, the circus area transformed into a celebration of music, dance, and community as our DJ, Hamed from Makerspace, played songs from various countries. Children, women and men across different backgrounds gathered to sing, dance, and filling Paréa with joy and a sense of togetherness! It was a day embodying what Paréa stands for: a circle of friends.
Faces of Paréa
Your generosity will remain etched in my soul and I will carry it wherever I go, as a proof that humanity knows no bounds. You did not just welcome a refugee, you embraced a human being, carrying his wounds. Thank you, each and every one of you, for every moment of attention, every kind word and every door you opened for me. Abdul Monem - from Sudan
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Meet our partner: Terra Psy
Terra Psy provides psychological and psychosocial support for families: children, teenagers and parents. Every day, their multidisciplinary team and cultural mediators organize workshops — using art therapy, discussion groups, and other psycho-pedagogical techniques — as well as individual consultations.
These are crucial in supporting children in the development of their emotional regulation, social skills and psychomotor skills. They also provide support for parents by recreating a calm and secure space to share their difficulties and work on the development of parenting skills.
Since psychological support for children is scarce on Lesvos, Terra Psy plays a vital role in filling this critical gap in essential services for families on the move.
Welcome to our space: The Women Space
This month, our Women’s Space has continued to be a vibrant and supportive environment for the women who visit Paréa. Every day, we offer a different activity, creating opportunities for learning, creativity, and self-expression - from beauty day to jewellery making, embroidery, and arts and crafts.
This month, this space has hosted some special activities and celebrations for the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
Most importantly, the Women’s Space continues to be a place where women can come as they are—to relax, connect, and feel part of a community. Whether through creative projects, shared meals, dancing, or quiet conversation, the space continues to foster a sense of community, belonging, and well-being.
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