The distance that separates Pakistan from Greece is about 5,000 kilometers, a journey that, as a migrant, one faces mainly on foot, by bus, and by crossing the sea in a boat. Nazir arrived in Greece at the age of 16. He faced the crossing alone, leaving his family and his whole life behind in Pakistan. He presented himself at an INTERSOS HELLAS office in Athens asking for help with his legal status. During the first session with the social worker, the personal account that came out was alarming. Nazir was a victim of kidnapping by a human trafficker, forced to pay for part of his journey from Turkey to Greece, and forced to suffer physical abuse and psychological violence. Like him, many other minors have similar backgrounds and existences of marginalization and difficulties of inclusion in their stay on Greek land.
When we speak of unaccompanied minors alone, we are referring to migrants under the age of 18 years who face migration routes to Europe. Greece is one of the EU countries particularly prone to this phenomenon. These are refugee or migrant children who have fled their homes due to conflict, persecution, or other crises within their home territory and then reach Greece without parents or legal guardians.
Currently, there are about 2000 unaccompanied and separated children in Greece based on the data of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. One of the main challenges they face is the lack of legal protection. Without a parent or law guardian, these children are easily exposed to exploitation and external abuse. Many of them suffer discriminatory acts and have great difficulties in building social networks, also due to language barriers. Most of them are between 14 and 17 years old, but there are also single adult girls with children under the age of eight.
The main countries of origin are Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia. Trauma is a common denominator for them, an unavoidable consequence of episodes of violence, persecution, and painful flight from their homes. Some have lost family members and those who have suffered abuse and exploitation during the journey to Greece; the impact of all this on their mental health, as well as their physical health, is such that specialized interventions are required from the very first stages of arrival in the Greek country.
INTERSOS HELLAS responds to these needs with projects aimed at the psycho-physical health and legal and social support of minors reaching the Athens region. “Protection for all Minors” was designed in August 2022 to respond to the most urgent needs and to
provide holistic support via protection to all the unaccompanied minors who are not officially accommodated under the National Emergency Response Mechanism (NERM) and the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons & Institutional Protection. The said population is exposed to potential risks, such as labor exploitation, abusive environments, drug-related circuits, and SGBV abuse.
After two years of operation of the NERM, it has been shown that unaccompanied minors who do not wish to be accommodated in Accommodation for unaccompanied minors are exposed to insufficient information on issues concerning their rights and protection, as well as the dangers of trafficking/smuggling, etc. Additionally, the Guardianship program is not yet operational, leaving many minors at risk. Children have no persons of reference to whom they can seek help when they need which, apart from trying to provide accommodation for minors alone in reception centers, do not provide any other kind of support and protection, especially legal protection, which is often among the most required and necessary for minors, given their vulnerable condition. Complementing the actions already put in place by the NERM, the project implements its activities via two core actions: a) the design of the Attendant role, and b) the establishment of an Urban Safe Space to assist and support all the UAMs, who are in precarious living conditions in Athens.
The objective of INTERSOS HELLAS is to build a relationship of trust with the children by providing safe shelters and housing and by initiating psychosocial support programs that often require deeper work aimed at getting minors out of situations of forced labor, trafficking, or sexual slavery linked to the need to survive.
In the urban safe space, set up in the city of Athens, for 2023 until the end of September, 984 unaccompanied minors were identified either in the Regional Asylum Offices or by phone through the National Emergency Response Mechanism’s referrals. Were carried out 641 social worker’s sessions, 528 mental health sessions, and 342 legal sessions.
It is necessary to ensure the well-being of these minors, offering them the opportunity to feel part of their host communities and help them build their future.