Migration Op-Ed Series: The Silence at Kato Tritos: The Human Cost of Global Indifference
[The below represents solely the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the institution.]
About this series: The FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University ran an intensive three-week graduate summer course on migration and refugee studies in Greece in July 2024, in collaboration with the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies and the Refugee and Migration Studies Hub of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. For the final assignment, participating students were invited to write a short op-ed on a migration-related theme. We picked five among the submissions to be published as part of a student opinions series. We hope our FXB community of readers enjoys these thoughtful opinion pieces. Learn more about the FXB distress migration program here.
The Silence at Kato Tritos: The Human Cost of Global Indifference
by Sirad Hassan
It was an exceptionally hot day on the Greek island of Lesbos when I stood in a cemetery where the majority of the tombstones read “unknown.” As I placed a red rose that had flown away in the wind back on one of the graves, I was overwhelmed with anger. This visit, coupled with my conversations with refugees in the various camps, underscored a stark reality: the world has failed each and every person buried here.
The cemetery, hidden among a grove of olive trees, is difficult to find; we were fortunate to have a taxi driver who went above and beyond, calling friends in Kato Tritos and navigating unmarked paths to help us reach our destination. His kindness stood in stark contrast to the global indifference that has allowed so many to die unnoticed and unremembered.
I spent the entire time pacing around all 190+ graves, reciting Surah Fatiha and offering duaas (prayers) for the deceased. I sobbed as I thought about the pain each family of the deceased carries while reflecting on the pain in my own family. One of my mother’s cousins disappeared in 2007 after boarding a boat from Libya. He spent thousands to pay for a boat, hoping for a better life, only to vanish without a trace on his way to Greece. My family’s search ended in despair two years later, leaving a wound that has never healed. I kept thinking: his body could very well lie in one of these unknown graves.
Among the graves, I was further struck by the number of names that mirrored those of my family and friends. Their dates of death were all clustered around the same tragic moments, illustrating the scale of the disasters these individuals faced. Lives cut short, families torn apart, and dreams drowned in the Aegean Sea filled my mind.
One grave, in particular, stood out. There were three bodies buried in one grave. The names and birth years mirrored those of my siblings—aged 1, 5, and 8. They all died on the same day. Initially marked as unknown, their identities were later discovered, and a plaque was added. Seeing the date, August 28, 2023, was a piercing reminder of the tragedy. Many Somali-sounding names shared the same date, indicating they were all on the same ill-fated boat.
This sight brought to mind the numerous reports of pushbacks by the Greek coast guard and the systemic failures that led to these deaths. The very crises that forced these individuals to flee—violence, starvation, and war—were exacerbated by the indifference and hostility they faced upon arrival. The graves are a testament not only to the immediate tragedies but also to the broader, ongoing failures of a global community that has allowed such suffering to persist.
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On our first day on the island, a classmate and I wandered in search of a place to pray and encountered Yemeni migrants outside Mahmoud’s restaurant, Reem, a spot we all came to cherish. Despite my limited Arabic, my classmate translated our conversation, allowing us both to bond on a deeper level with them. Then, we all walked together towards Kara Tepe refugee camp and witnessed firsthand the harrowing journey migrants endure—facing life-threatening dangers like violence and exploitation, alongside daily challenges such as navigating highways without sidewalks. While the absence of sidewalks underscores the neglect of migrant infrastructure, it pales in comparison to the more immediate threats to their safety, such as drowning during perilous crossings. Their accounts revealed that the food situation in the camp fell below SPHERE standards, a stark contrast to what we were taught in our lectures. A few days later, I directly questioned a Kara Tepe camp representative about the substandard food quality, challenging the sanitized narratives we had been presented. While some classmates laughed, it wasn’t because they found the conditions amusing. Rather, they were tired of my consistent questioning and calling out of the camp’s failures. But I don’t see questioning the status quo as something to shy away from—it’s necessary to confront the realities of injustice, even when it makes others uncomfortable.
During a get-together after class, we met three Syrian men who shared similar struggles to the Yemeni men, often having to walk to town for hours for decent food. As I walked with them, we encountered three Somali girls who were also refugees. They described their urgent needs, prompting me and a few classmates to organize a fundraiser for additional modest clothing and feminine items. These interactions underscored the power of small actions and the necessity of radical change, emphasizing that we must envision a world where refugees no longer face such hardships and have the agency and peace they deserve.
The tragic reality of the refugee crisis in Lesbos underscores the urgent need for both immediate and systemic change. Current policies and practices fail to meet even the most basic SPHERE standards in health, food, education, and shelter. Addressing these deficiencies must be a priority to alleviate the suffering of those in camps. At the same time, we must reimagine a future where there are no refugee camps and no forced displacement, requiring a radical overhaul of global power structures, economic exploitation, and geopolitical conflicts. This vision requires a radical rethinking of global power dynamics, economic exploitation, and geopolitical conflicts. People deserve freedom, agency, and peace. The systemic issues that drive forced migration—colonialism, proxy wars, economic exploitation—must be dismantled.
Leadership should embody humility and a genuine commitment to change. We must imagine a better, radically different world. If the current leaders are unwilling or unable to create such a world, they must question their role in perpetuating the status quo. Colonial legacies and geopolitical machinations have left many regions destabilized, creating conditions where violence and persecution thrive. The very powers that champion human rights on the global stage all have histories—and present policies—that contribute to the suffering they decry. The refugees in Lesbos are fleeing wars, conflicts, and genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Palestine, Afghanistan, and beyond. Many of these regions have been plagued by foreign interventions and occupation.
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It is not enough to mourn the dead; we must also advocate for the living. Addressing the root causes of forced migration—conflict, persecution, and economic despair—is essential. While the presence of such a cemetery in Kato Tritos is a testament to the compassion of volunteers on the island, it also serves as a grim reminder of the world’s failures and the real human cost of global indifference.
About the Author: Sirad Hassan is a Ph.D. candidate in Social Behavioral Sciences at Harvard, specializing in social epidemiology with a focus on racial and ethnic health disparities. With a background in public health and human rights, her research and advocacy center on addressing systemic inequities faced by refugee communities, particularly around autism awareness and access to healthcare. Drawing from her experiences working with Somali refugee families, she is passionate about creating culturally tailored interventions that empower marginalized communities.
Featured photo: Rbgarcia / Shutterstock