May 4, 2017
EU Crisis Response (Part 4 of 4)
A series on the results from the first year of emergency support within the European Union
For several decades the European Union has delivered humanitarian aid to a large number of natural and man-made disasters outside its own territory. In contrast, the emergency response within the Union was limited to the coordination of voluntary in-kind assistance between member states.
All this changed in spring 2016 when the European Council and Parliament provided the European Commission with hundreds of millions of Euros to temporarily support the national responses to the refugee and migration crisis. At the peak of the crisis in summer 2015, 10 000 men, women and children arrived in Greece in one day.
But what are the results after one year of operation in Greece? This series takes stock of the impact of EU emergency support funding thus far and focuses specifically on its four key operational priorities, namely (i) shelter, (ii) cash assistance, (iii) education, and (iv) support to the most vulnerable groups in Greece.
You can also catch up on chapters one, two and three before reading chapter four below.
CHAPTER 4: GIVING ENHANCED SUPPORT TO THE MOST VULNERABLE GROUPS
Unaccompanied minors represent the most vulnerable of all migrants and refugees stranded in Greece. Commission actions are geared towards the best interest of these children and put protection first.
All European member states have the duty to protect children, including migrants and refugee children arriving alone in Europe without a parent or guardian. It is a moral and human duty embedded in European values and traditions, and reaffirmed in a variety of international legal instruments such as the UN Convention on Rights of the Child and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The Commission is fully committed to alleviating suffering, restoring dignity of, and protecting refugee and migrant children in Greece, children like Aamir.
Sixteen year-old Aamir ended up in Greece alone. Aamir’s parents, members of the Hazara ethnic group, had been killed by the Taliban, who target Hazara for religious reasons. He walks with a painful-looking limp, the effects of a degenerative bone disease that, Greek doctors say, can only be addressed by specialist paediatric surgery in Great Britain. He has applied to go there as a particularly vulnerable child.
“I left my family three years ago then I went to Pakistan to get to Iran. Then I went to Turkey and then Greece. In Afghanistan, I stayed with my grandmother. My grandfather was dead; she said we had to leave,” Aamir recalls.
“In Iran, my grandmother died and I had to bury her. Then I worked in Iran for a year to raise money for the rest of the journey.”
As of January 2017, there are an estimated 2,200 unaccompanied minors like Aamir in Greece. Many of them fled violence and armed conflict from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Others were escaping poverty and injustice. An ‘unaccompanied minor’ is a minor who arrives on Member States territory unaccompanied by an adult responsible for him or her, it also includes a minor who is left unaccompanied after he or she has entered the territory of the Member States. For these children their journeys were filled with peril and trauma. Although the vast majority of them are boys (92%), unaccompanied girls are seeking safety and protection in Greece.
Most unaccompanied minors are adolescents between 15 and 17 years, a critical age in childhood development that becomes even more challenging in a crisis context.
Due to their peculiar vulnerability and the trauma, specialised protection is required to fully address the needs of unaccompanied minors. The Commission’s starting point is always the best interest of the child. Every child undergoes a detailed vulnerability screening. This analysis enables better identification of the best care approach for each child.
To guarantee high standards in delivering care, the Commission relies on the proven expertise of partners specialised in child protection such as UNICEF, Save the Children and Terre des Hommes. With this expertise the Commission is committed to providing a full package of services to support unaccompanied minors. The strategy aims to guarantee access to round-the-clock supervision and support on site. This includes night-time security, counselling, legal aid and psychosocial support.
Cultural mediators providing translation services are available to facilitate communication between social workers and children. Access to education and language courses are organised as well as medical services and recreational activities. Humanitarian partners are also requested to provide complementary services and daily structured activities to ensure integration between refugee and host community.
Reflecting on his previous experience to now, Aamir says “When I first came to Greece, I went to Idomeni. I lived in a tent there, not in a proper camp. It was very difficult, it was raining a lot, and some days it was very cold. In the shelter now my main activity is to do lessons. It is good here, good to be with people my age; everyone here really tries to help and support us. For the moment, I feel safe.”
Learn more about EU Humanitarian Aid in Greece.
