HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION FOR VULNERABLE ASYLUM APPLICANTS

Human Rights and international protection for vulnerable asylumapplicants: challenges andperspectives XXV Thirdly, Sofia Kapitzeli presents the right to family reunification under Dublin III Reg- ulation. It is an overview of the Dublin Convention, focusing on the process of family reunification under the Dublin III Regulation. She investigates the effectiveness of the family reunification process, especially the cooperation between Greece and Germa- ny. Also, her research was based on existing research documents and statistics that have been published recently, analyzing academic articles, as well as relevant reports that have been published. The book continues in the second part with three contributions looking closer to vic- tims of sex trafficking - Torture victims and LGBTI protection. Firstly, Angeliki Sireti provides an overview of the legal framework and practical as- pects of the protection of victims of sex trafficking and examines the challenges of its implementation. Also, there is a research part based on the answers of profession- als, who are working on the identification and the protection of victims of sex traf- ficking in Greece, and indicate the insufficiency of the State to protect and support victims. The respondents provide recommendations for a better implementation of the legal framework. Secondly, Giorgos Bourboulas examines the Greece’s response to refugee torture vic- tims’ situation from 2015 until 2019. More specifically, he explores the implementa- tion of legal framework, difficulties that undermine victims’ wellbeing and sugges- tions to overcome these challenges. His study consists of empirical research having conducted semi-structured interviews with professionals who work with refugee victims of torture were conducted to provide data. In findings suggests that there are problems in the implementation of the legislative framework. Thirdly, Spiros Apergis examines the asylumprotection for LGBTI applicants andmore particularly he introduces issues on the examination of asylum claims judged by the Independent Appeals Committees (IAC) of the Appeals Authority in Greece related to sexual orientation of the applicants. Lastly, the conclusions drawn from all studies above indicate that the concept of vul- nerable asylum seekers is a double-edged tool, which should be handled with care. Human Rights construed to protect us all but firstly the most vulnerable. The whole human rights system is founded on a concern for embodied vulnerability. However, as a result οf the above articles it seems that vulnerable groups fall outside the scope of the purportedly universal protection of human rights and there is still way to go in order to protect them the same way in practice as in the legal theory. Dr. jur. Banti-Markouti Victoria Dr. Sounoglou Marina