A chance for a better future: Supported independent living and the protection of unaccompanied children in Greece [EN/EL] – Greece – ReliefWeb

Executive Summary

Children are one of the most vulnerable groupings amongst those who migrate. They have complex needs, including for a safe and stable environment, as well as access to healthcare, education and tailored, child-friendly services. Within this group, unaccompanied children, - those who have been separated from both parents and other relatives and are not being cared for by an adult who, by law or custom, is responsible for doing so are particularly exposed to increased risks of violence, abuse, and exploitation. As a result, they need targeted and appropriate services to scale, including adequate identification and registration, guardianship and legal representation, quality accommodation and care arrangements.

As of 15 October 2021, there were 2,159 unaccompanied children in Greece, the vast majority of whom were boys over 16 years of age. In the preceding 18 months, more than 1,000 other children were relocated from Greece to other European countries as part of a voluntary relocation scheme to assist the most vulnerable and decongest gravely overcrowded camps and reception facilities. The reality that over 37,000 unaccompanied children were referred for accommodation in Greece since 2016, indicates the scale of the needs and the multiple challenges the country has faced in trying to address them. Added to this, more than 18,000 unaccompanied refugee children and adolescents disappeared from state care across Europe between 2018 and 2020, including 2,118 from Greece, revealing just how vulnerable and at-risk this group can be.

Undeniably, Greece was not equipped to face the scale of the needs that arose with the arrival of these children. Age-appropriate, quality care arrangements, in line with the best interests of the child, were sorely lacking, leaving thousands of children out of long-term accommodation, in precarious conditions, in homelessness or even detention. From the moment of first arrival in the country, unaccompanied childrens safety is impacted as a result of inadequate first reception, identification and registration services and the lack of appointed guardians. If children are not officially recognised as children following the identification stage, then they are forced to live with unknown adults, in inadequate accommodation, without the protection services they need and are entitled to.

In November 2019, the Prime Minister of Greece made a public pledge to protect unaccompanied children through the No Child Alone scheme, at a time when over 5,000 were present in the country. Since then, Greece has made considerable improvements in the protection of unaccompanied children, especially in the provision of quality accommodation and care arrangements. Important advances include the legal abolition of protective custody and the gradual phasing out of safe zones and hotels as means of accommodation. Significantly, the creation of supported independent living apartments demonstrated a marked shift from institutional care and other more isolating and segregated settings to more appropriate, supported and empowering independent living. However, despite these welcome improvements, serious gaps in the protection of unaccompanied children remain.

Providing sufficient safety and support for unaccompanied children is the joint responsibility of both Greece and the EU as a whole, as part of the wider refugee response and in line with EU values and law. The relocation of over 1,000 children from Greece to other European countries is a practical show of solidarity that has also allowed Greece to protect the children remaining in its territory more effectively. Still, more needs to be done. EU member states should urgently fulfil their pledges to relocate unaccompanied children and put family unity at the heart of their asylum policies, allowing all children with family elsewhere in Europe, to join their relatives and grow up with their family. Sadly, in 2020, 3/4 of all family reunification requests of unaccompanied children in Greece were rejected by other EU countries.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been providing child protection services for asylum-seekers, refugees and other migrants in Greece since 2016. Based on this work, as well as relevant protection and migration programming around the world, we believe that durable solutions that better address the needs and safeguard the rights of unaccompanied children must be urgently introduced or expanded. These include, as a priority, swifter family reunification for children with family members elsewhere in Europe; relocation to other European countries, ideally through a more permanent EU-wide relocation mechanism; resourced and effective foster care for younger children; and the increased provision of supported independent living accommodation for children over 16 years of age.

Supported yet independent accommodation is a community-based-care and protection model for largely self-sufficient adolescents, based on the provision of safe housing and individualised support with a view to supporting residents gradual and sustained autonomy. Considering that more than 90% of the unaccompanied children in Greece are over 14 years of age, and the largest percentage are 16 years or older, the importance of the SIL apartments model is evident. However, for this model to achieve its full potential in helping unaccompanied children transition smoothly into adulthood and integrate into society, serious gaps must be addressed. The Greek state needs to resolve serious issues affecting childrens access to the asylum procedure, health care, and education, as well as their representation by guardians, as they are separated from their parents.

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A chance for a better future: Supported independent living and the protection of unaccompanied children in Greece [EN/EL] - Greece - ReliefWeb