Fractured

As many members of our team come from Iran, for our first Summer Short episode we had to choose a topic related to the situation of Iranian artists who were forced to flee their country and those who despite all obstacles decided to stay. Our special guest is an actor, director and artist Vassilis Koukalani . Watch the whole episode here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5lCfOVhCwTHrGhfu7...

Being a refugee means fighting many battles at the same time. A battle for a right to international protection, a battle for basic goods like food or clothing, a battle for maintaining your dignity in the most undignifying conditions, but also a battle to not lose your identity, your uniqueness and your passions. For our team members art was this safe refuge that helped in many hopeless situations...

Food insecurity comprises a major global public health threat. Its effects are detrimental to the mental, physical, and social aspects of the health and well-being of those experiencing it. According to the Food Insecurity in Greece and Across the Globe report, more than 900 million people worldwide experience severe food insecurity, with future projections showing increasing trends. One of the mo...

Greece struggles with a serious housing crisis. Walking down the streets of Athens you will notice many homeless people. Many of them are refugees and asylum seekers who after receiving their asylum decision were forced to leave the camp within 7 days. Without any integration classes in camps, and very rare Greek lessons, most people find it extremely difficult to find a new accommodation and even...

Where in the world at this moment is the largest displacement taking place? Would you guess that it’s Sudan? Probably not as the media reports very little, if any, about the conflict that forced millions of people to leave their homes. As the civil war in Sudan enters its second year, the two warring factions, SAF and RSF, remain locked in a deadly power struggle, with the civilians bearing the co...

In this episode of "Fractured" we host National Geographic Explorer Photojournalist Hailey Sadler who has worked across the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the U.S.  Her work explores themes of trauma, memory, and identity through the psychological and emotional experiences of conflict and forced displacement.  Hailey's reporting and research is rooted in years of prior poli...

"No More Morias" was the battle cry after the fires destroyed the most infamous refugee camp on European soil in 2020. It was also the justification for €276 million of EU funds to create new CCAC (Closed Controlled Access Centers) on the Greek islands. While ecologically motivated legal battles in the highest court of Greece continue to hold up the opening of the new CCAC on Lesvos, the...

In this episode of Fractured we cover one of the largest yet almost completely forgotten crises in the world: the situation of Rohingya. Persecuted over decades in Myanmar they found shelter in the neighboring countries. Yet no integration or even a refugee status has been offered to them. This episode aims at bringing this topic closer to Western listeners and viewers. We discuss the conditions i...

Despite being deemed illegal by multiple courts ranging from the European Court on Human Rights and the UK Supreme Court, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government refuses to give up on their plan to forcibly deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. This, coupled with indefinite detention in centers notorious for outrageous criminal care and conditions, the UK remains a daily nightmare for anyo...

In 2023 only a bit less than 200 people managed to flee North Korea and resettle in South Korea. For years the most isolated country in the world has been blocking its citizens from traveling abroad and restricting journeys within its territory. Escaping this oppressive regime is not only very expensive but also extremely dangerous. Many North Korean women are being sold as sex slaves or as brides...

In the early morning of June 14, 2023 , a severely overcrowded fishing trawler capsized close to Pylos in southern Greece leading to the death of more than 600 people. It had started its journey from Libya five days earlier with an estimated 750 migrants and asylum seekers, including children. Only 104 of those onboard survived and 82 bodies were recovered. Survivors interviewed by Amnesty Interna...

Live from Syntagma Square, Athens, GR (24.02.24) On the second anniversary of Russia’s full scale invasion on Ukraine we join the Ukrainian community in Greece as they march through the streets of Athens to remind the world that there is an unprovoked and unfair war happening in Europe right now. In our first field episode this season our guests highlight that the war started not two but ten years...

An investigation by Solomon collective in collaboration with research group Lighthouse Reports, Der Spiegel, ARD, British newspaper "i", Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, and esteemed academics captures the neglect of authorities to document deaths of asylum seekers on the Balkan route.  In this episode of Fractured we speak to Stavros Malichudis who investigated the deaths on the Balkan...

In this episode of Fractured we do our best to understand how the Greek education system works or doesn’t work for refugee minors. It’s been several years since the beginning of the so-called refugee “crisis”, and even though many refugee minors are enrolled in schools, it doesn’t mean that they receive the same education as Greek children. Many remain confused by how the system really works, what...

In this episode of Fractured we do our best to understand how the Greek education system works or doesn’t work for refugee minors. It’s been several years since the beginning of the so-called refugee “crisis”, and even though many refugee minors are enrolled in schools, it doesn’t mean that they receive the same education as Greek children. Many remain confused by how the system really works, what...

From a perspective of global conflict and intense suffering, 2023 has certainly been a year to say farewell to. But for us at ReFOCUS, we also have to look back on all we’ve achieved, especially within the evolution of our Fractured podcast. In this final episode of 2023, our core team discusses the topics that were most impactful as well as upcoming episodes and wishes for the coming year of prod...

According to the UNHCR there are currently around 4400 asylum seekers on Lesvos. Even though every month more than one thousand people are transferred to the mainland, more people keep coming. The island has been the hub of the so-called “refugee crisis” for years now, and nothing indicates a change in this matter. Even though Lesvos is no longer in the center of media attention, the conditions in...

According to the UNHCR there are currently around 4400 asylum seekers on Lesvos. Even though every month more than one thousand people are transferred to the mainland, more people keep coming. The island has been the hub of the so-called “refugee crisis” for years now, and nothing indicates a change in this matter. Even though Lesvos is no longer in the center of media attention, the conditions in...

How many layers of discrimination can one person carry? Yuli, the guest of our latest episode, says that she holds the worst possible combination in the world: “black, trans, sex worker.” On top of that she is a refugee and struggles with stigma related to that fact that she had to flee her home. In a very honest conversation with us, Yuli and Moran from Safe Place International reveal all issues...

This Is Who You Are. There Is Nothing Wrong with You! Almost every LGBTQI+ refugee carries a double stigma. One related to their sexual orientation, the other to the fact that they had to flee their country. Masi and Sulah from Safe Place International clarify how sexual orientation is the reason for many people to seek asylum and on the other hand how it still remains the main ground for discrimi...

Starting on October 7th multiple earthquakes devastated the Herat region of Eastern Afghanistan within a week. The final number of dead is still unknown as many bodies are still covered with dust after whole villages of poorly constructed clay houses have been destroyed. The country is now facing an escalating humanitarian crisis, following on top of a collapsed economy and instability constantly...

According to the UNHCR data, 29,485 Iranians fled their country in 2022. Big part of this group were activists and artists who due to their activity couldn’t freely create in their homeland or couldn’t stay free period. Recently three award-winning filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof, Mostafa Aleahmad and Jafar Panahi have been arrested in Tehran for “inflaming and disrupting the psychological safety of...

Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a Kurdish woman was killed by the morality police in Tehran on September 16th 2022. Morality police claimed that Mahsa died of a heart attack, however other women detained with her testified that she was treated very brutally by the police for resisting the assaults. The official reason for arresting Mahsa was the accusation that her hijab was not covering her hair enough and t...

It’s been 2 years since the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan. Since then, the regime has faced international condemnation over the human rights situation, including restrictions they have imposed on women’s education. Afghanistan is also fighting a humanitarian crisis, with almost half of its population – 23 million people – receiving assistance from the World Food Programme last year. In th...

Hundreds of witnesses have testified to the existence of “black sites” – places where people who came to Europe to claim asylum are denied any rights. In this episode we focus on an investigative piece by Lighthouse Reports which revealed that security forces along the Bulgarian-Turkish border are using secret facilities to systematically detain people seeking refuge before illegally deporting the...