By Sheila Alexandra Cross | Team Leader and Member of the governing Committee
Systems fail. Rights vanish. People suffer.
ASsIST offers what the system withholds: reliable legal support, timely information, referral to welfare services and a human connection rooted in solidarity. We work to uphold rights, reduce fear, and ensure that no one faces this system alone.
Why Our Work Matters
Many of the people we support have endured exploitation, violence, or deeply traumatic experiences. But these realities are rarely disclosed without building trust — and without culturally sensitive interpretation and trauma-informed legal support. We have seen that even the most serious claims can be rejected when survivors are unable to fully explain what they have been through.
Legal support is not just technical assistance. When done well, it is a form of principled care — grounded in patience, clarity, and respect. It creates the conditions for people to speak. To be heard. To be protected.
In recent months, ASsIST has provided legal and procedural support to women facing extraordinary risk — including survivors of trafficking and gender-based violence (GBV). As services for asylum seeker and refugee GBV survivors close, our support and referral role has become even more urgent. Accessible legal and psychosocial services,
Since May 2025, MSF has closed its main GBV clinic in Athens, and Diotima — a key actor in GBV response — hasofficially ended its services for refugee and migrant women. This leaves Action for Women as possibly the only remaining NGO offering targeted support. No single agency can meet the needs within the asylum seeker community. State services remain largely inaccessible. loss of safe referral options and specialised care further isolates women survivors of violence. With fewer accessible legal and psychosocial services, many women will face traumatization, prolonged uncertainty, or silence.
ASsIST Under Pressure
As legal pathways shrink and support services collapse, ASsIST is stepping in where others have withdrawn. We continue to provide multilingual information, legal support, and referrals — but the pressure is mounting. Our team is small, overstretched, and funded almost entirely through private donations. We have reduced overheads and maximised efficiency, but core legal roles remain at risk due to funding gaps.
What Your Donations Do
€10 = one legal information session or urgent referral via WhatsApp
€25 = one hour of legal consultation with interpreter
€100 = legal preparation for an asylum interview or appeal
€250 = full legal support for a person in detention
Bonus Day Is Coming – Help Us Keep Going
July 16 is GlobalGiving Bonus Day
Donations of €90 or more will be partially matched by GlobalGiving.
100% of your contribution funds free, rights-based legal aid for asylum seekers in Greece. Your support allows us to continue reaching people in detention, camps, and crisis — in 14+ languages, across platforms.
For a more detailed up-date, please see the attached report ‘Key Developments in Greece’.
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