More than 1,100 unaccompanied refugee and migrant children in Greece need urgent shelter and protection

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More than 1,100 unaccompanied refugee and migrant children in Greece need urgent shelter and protection

Author: unicef.org | 29 August 2019

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The number of unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children, staying in dangerous and overcrowded Reception and Identification Centres on the Greek islands, and detention facilities across the country, now exceeds 1,100 – the largest number since the beginning of 2016 – UNICEF said today.  The agency urged European Member States to do more to protect these particularly vulnerable children.

“This past weekend a child lost his life and two more were injured in a violent incident in the Reception and Identification Centre in Moria.  This latest tragedy is a stark reminder that the situation in Reception Centres in Greece is at a breaking-point,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Response in Europe, Ms. Afshan Khan.  “We continue to appeal to Greek authorities to transfer children to adequate accommodation on the mainland, but Greece cannot support refugee and migrant children alone.  It is vital that European Governments increase pledges to relocate unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children, and fast-track family reunifications for those who already have relatives in Europe.”

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