ΑΛΛΗΛΕΓΓΥΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ: ΕΞΕΛΙΞΕΙΣ ΣΤΟ ΠΕΔΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΦΥΓΙΚΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΤΑΣΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΚΛΗΣΕΙΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ

The Greek and European challenge: the situation of unaccompanied minors in Greece Η Ελληνική και Ευρωπαϊκή πρόκληση: η κατάσταση των ασυνόδευτων ανηλίκων στην Ελλάδα Lorra Pappa President of NGO Metadrasi Λώρα Παππά Πρόεδρος ΜΚΟ Μετάδραση As you know, during 2015 more than a million people, mainly refugees, passed through Greece. In March 2016, the northern borders of Greece were closed and, in combination with the eu-turkey Statement of that month, thousands of people were left stranded. Amongst them were 2,500 unaccom-panied children. One year after the EU Turkey Statement there are currently 2,300 unac-com- panied children in Greece. In a very short time, there was a big effort to rise the capacity for housing unaccompanied children in Greece, and the capacity has tri- pled, and more than half of these children live in suitable ac-commodation. But the other half remain in unsuitable and dangerous condi-tions in the camps, on the streets, or in police custody. All kinds of smugglers’ networks have made their way into the camps, around the squares, even out-side the accommodation facilities. the incidence of sexual exploitation, child prostitution, alcohol and drug abuse is rapidly on the rise. Metadrasi has been on the ground responding to the needs. with 5 shelters created in one year, with the escorting of these children from the entry points and main- land to safe accommodation facilities and of course with the innova-tive actions of guardianship and foster families care. Through our guardianship network, shelters and foster care program wesupport more than 800 cases of unaccompanied chil-