CALL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH DETAINED WOMEN AT PETROU RALLI PRISON
Visits to the Petrou Ralli detention centre have now been banned due to measures relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, all the essential items that you donated were packaged and delivered to the detained women on Thursday, March 26th. The same will be done, wherever possible, throughout April and May… until the detention centre empties!
It is murderous that in a time of global pandemic with thousands dead, that so many are being marginalized and forcibly crammed into filthy confinement, and that at this moment in whole regions of the world and places here in Greece (for example, at the refugee extermination camp in Ritsona, where 62 of the 3,000 residents were tested last week and 20 found positive in COVID-19), people are being quarantined. You know almost nothing about the situation – it’s as if you do not exist, living in a state of exception.
We are calling on you, individuals and self-organized communities from the fighting solidarity network from below; on you who always stand by the vulnerable and marginalized. If you would like to assist by donating items from the list below, you can send us a message at our Facebook inbox/messenger or email: spiti.gynaikon@gmail.com to co-ordinate and discuss where to deliver donations. We have 6 different addresses in various areas of Athens, where they can be delivered or collected.
For our part, we continue to work to inform and support the detained women who contact us by phone, advising them about risks, cautions and claiming their rights. We also support and encourage as much as possible those who have managed to be released from the hellhole of detention and request our assistance.
Below is a list of necessary items for personal hygiene and strengthening the immune system of detainees as a precautionary measure against the deadly COVID-19 virus and the many other germs in the filthy toilets, cells and common spaces of this building which is completely unfit for human habitation. We have also included items for women’s communication, recreation, and education.
In order of priority:
For CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD:
1. Telephone Cards
2. Chronocards (paid units to top up SIM cards): Wind /Taza /Q
For HEALTH: (*we currently have no supplies)
1. Vitamin C
2. Lozenges for coughs/throat
3. Probiotics (eg. antifungals for digestive function and dietary supplements)
4. Propolis pills/drops
5. Depon/Paracetamol
For HYGIENE:
(Please note: for all the following items, glass or metal packaging and sprays of any kind are prohibited.)
1. Liquid soap/anti-bacterial hand wash in plastic containers, mouthwash (eg. Listerine) containing alcohol (*we currently have no supplies.)
2. Insect repellent and ointment for bites/sings (*we currently have no supplies.) 3. Shampoo & body wash
4. Conditioner
5. Moisturizing lotions for hands/body
6. Deodorants
7. Disposable plastic gloves and wipes, fabric towels for showering, rubber flip-flops
8. Tracksuits/gym wear, new undergarments and underpants (*we currently have no supplies)
9. Toilet paper
10. Sanitary pads
11. Toothpaste
12. Toothbrushes
For DIETARY SUPPLEMENT, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING, and RECREATION:
1. Instant coffee, cocoa, sugar, juice, milk
2. Nuts, chocolates, savory and sweet biscuits/crackers, buns, cakes (all in long-lasting plastic packaging – glass and metal are prohibited.)
3. Literature and books (multilingual – we have enough French texts), language textbooks and dictionaries, (there is a complete lack of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Greek texts).
4. Magazines
5. Painting materials, notebooks, pens and pencils
6. Balls
7. Boardgames – multilingual where possible
SOLIDARITY DOES NOT STAY IN QUARANTINE!
We stand with migrant women – the passion for freedom is stronger than all kinds of prisons!
We call for the closure of all state detention centers and military-run refugee extermination camps.
We demand that all detainees be granted asylum papers and transferred to accommodation that complies with the terms of quarantine,
with accurate information, health services, amenities, and dignity.
Solidarity and self-organization are our weapons!
Assembly of the Initiative: The House of Women for Empowerment & Emancipation
spiti.gynaikon@gmail.com
Fb: Το Σπίτι των Γυναικών, για την Ενδυνάμωση & τη Χειραφέτηση