Viet Nam Human Rights
Refugee and migrant children are becoming stranded in Greece
29/8/16
With the sudden increase of arrivals, hundreds more refugee and
migrant children are becoming stranded in Greece with critical needs such as
education and protection, says UNICEF.
More people arrived in the first three weeks of August than all of
July 2016 (1,920 for July; 2,289 as of August 24th). This new influx
comes at a time when Greece is struggling to cope with a strained welfare
system due to the ongoing economic crisis, leaving refugee and migrant children
facing a double crisis. In total, children make up nearly 40 per cent of the
current stranded population.
“There is a real sense in Greece of refugee families just waiting
– waiting for their asylum request to be processed, a decision to relocate
elsewhere in Europe, waiting for proper schooling and playgrounds for their
children, proper housing, simply waiting to know what their future will be,”
said Laurent Chapuis, UNICEF’s Coordinator for the Refugee & Migrant
response in Greece.
For children this waiting is an eternity - many from conflict torn
countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq have missed out entirely on
education or lost years of schooling and are held back yet again.
“Education is a one of the most powerful ways to protect children
from all forms of violence,” added Mr Chapuis. “This means we need to all join
forces to boost Government’s efforts to get children back to school in
September.”
Recent reports of sexual abuse, violence, and neglect are an
indication of unsuitable living conditions and weakened child protection
mechanisms. An overstretched public service has also compounded the risks for
refugee and migrant children.
There are almost 27,500 children stranded in Greece and the number
continues to rise. There are at least 2,250 unaccompanied children in Greece
yet only a third stays in formal shelters. Despite the continued efforts of the
Government and partners, the need for temporary accommodation, child protection
services and schooling remain acute.
Getting children into education is a key priority for UNICEF and
its partners in Greece, especially in the light of recent reports of children
at risk. UNICEF has been supporting learning and recreational activities for
refugee children in Skaramangas camp, near Athens, with the Greek NGO Piraeus
Open School for Immigrants, as well as providing 11 container classrooms.
UNICEF education programmes are being scaled up beyond Attica to
other camps, targeting at least 5,000 children by the end of the year and
working with the Ministry of Education to help integrate refugee children into
the Greek education system./.
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