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

74 International Commition of the Red Cross in Greece their son got lost, the entire family became a victim too. This is when the most agonizing part – the helplessness, the wondering, the endless scenarios – begin. Basheer’s family lived in the agony of not knowing whether to mourn or hope. In May 2016, Basheer’s father had arrived to Greece in search for his son. He asked help from the tracing Service of the Hellenic red Cross in Athens. With the support of the forensic team of the ICRC, the Hellenic police took a DNA sample from the father and there was a positive match. Basheer’s family was able to bury him near Athens, at the Schistos cemetery, where Basheer got his name back. It was a tragic closure but at least the family could put an end to its agonyand had a place to mourn their lost son. This is the first step to the long route for recovery. II. Slim hope for graves with numbers The story of Basheer is still an exception to the rule. He belongs to the roughly estimated minority of 30% of dead migrants whose identity have been pos-sible to establish, while the 70% majority is estimated to stay unidentified per a study of University of Amsterdam. This ratio matches to the situation in evros, north eastern region in Greece, where there has been an estimated 350 migrant bodies discovered since 2010, and about 100 of them have been possible to identify so far. At the national level, in Greece, the ICRC estimates there to be more than 1000 unidentified dead migrants, while the estimates of authorities are slightly more cautious. The Hellenic Police laboratory has DNA examples of an estimated 800 unidentified bodies, of which 700 are foreseen to be migrants. The matching between dead bodies and families seeking for their loved is time consuming, challenging, long term work. This year, the ICRC has been involved in recovering of names of 9 deceased migrants through DNA confirmation and there are 15 cases in progress with the Greek authorities and ICRC’s Delegations in the countries of origin - Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. While this work goes on, ICRC is supporting the Greek authorities in managing the burial grounds with unknown migrants in Muslim cemetery of Komotini and orthodox cemetery in Orestiada in Evros region, as well as in Lesvos island. The improvement of graves will allow better matching with the dead and their families searching for their missing in future. It will bring the dignity back to those missing, and their mortal remains, and to their families, enabling them to mourn, and recover.