For more than 2 years, the Protection for All Minors Programme, implemented by INTERSOS Hellas in collaboration with the Network for Children Rights, has provided comprehensive psychosocial, legal, and social support to unaccompanied children living in precarious situation in Greece, protecting them from being invisible and facing the consequences of extreme social exclusion.
Since its start in August 2022, as a recent report from INTERSOS reveals, the Protection for All Minors Programme has assisted over 1500 unaccompanied children living outside official shelters in Attica and other regions of Central and Southern Greece, 98% of them being boys between 15 and 18 years old and the majority from Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
“Dozens of cases present critical vulnerabilities mostly linked to physical and sexual abuse faced during their journey, as well as health conditions to be treated, such as TBC, scabies and streptococcus”, says Effi Mansali, from the Network of Children Rights, “Moreover, in the last months, we have witnessed an increased number of arrivals from Libya. Like all people on the move, minors travelling this dangerous route have encountered systematic violence and abuse, which results in post-traumatic stress disorder with multiple symptoms, but also an increased number of episodes of aggressive and violent behaviour as a result of the trauma they suffered. The mental health of the minors we assist poses an additional challenge to their social integration and must be prioritised”. Although being a minority of cases, girls present specific vulnerabilities, one of them being cases of early marriage and pregnancy.
One of the most pressing issues is ensuring support for boys and girls when they turn 18. “Your life and your needs don’t change on your birthday, but your legal status does – INTERSOS’ Hellas project manager Christos Ananiadis underlines – It’s urgent to identify solutions to support the transition to adulthood, implementing programs that equip minors with essential life skills, but also strengthening assistance to minors in obtaining a 10-year residency permit under the Migration Code, ensuring continuity in support and legal stability.”
As we’re writing, the Protection for All Minors programme manages over 150 active cases through the Urban Safe Space managed by the Network for Children Rights in Athens and the remote support to cases in other areas of the country. This number shows the consistency of needs, but it also highlights the challenge of providing each case with the required attention and access to services.
“When an Interpol report came out with the staggering number of 10.000 children missing in Europe, many were shocked – Apostolos Veizis, INTERSOS Hellas Director, observes – But we must be aware that those 10.000 minors did not really disappear without a reason. It was because the European reception and assistance system lost track and could not take care of them. Our intervention aims to bridge the gaps in our reception system and facilitate the identification of structural and permanent solutions, which is the job of the Greek Government and the European Union. Often, it’s not a matter of financial resources but of political will.
Over the last two years, through the constant dialogue with civil society and Greek institutions, the Protection for All Minors programme has shaped an effective model for overcoming the limits and bottlenecks of the system, promoting the safety and dignity of all minors, and ensuring safe pathways from precarious conditions to social integration for children who have been separated from either their parents or primary caregivers.