The closure of the borders and the Balkan route resulted in several thousands of people being trapped in Greece. Among them, the most vulnerable group: unaccompanied and separated children. Even though they are the most vulnerable, these children often do not receive the protection enshrined in European and international law.
In order to safeguard the human right to safety and decent living conditions, Faros in collaboration with four other organizations – SolidarityNow, Merimna, CivisPlus and Babel – are launching a program entitled “Following their Footsteps”.
The program aims to strengthen the systematic identification and registration of unaccompanied and separated minors living under difficult conditions in the streets of Athens and the provision of holistic care and hospitality through an alternative to detention or life on the streets. More specifically, the program aims to provide these children social integration opportunities, enhance the effectiveness of the existing support network in Athens and contribute decisively to reducing the phenomenon of absconding from accommodation structures through advocacy for the development of a specific national policy.
The founder of Faros, Patricia Kirk, states: “Faros specializes in unaccompanied minors and we strongly believe that this common endeavor will cover important gaps in the current supportive framework of one of the most vulnerable groups among refugees. The project ‘Following their Footsteps’ strengthens our constant efforts to reach out to children, who are alone in the streets of Athens, and supports us in providing them with a shelter, at ‘Faros Home’. With professionalism, but also with a lot of love for what we do, we will care for every child in need, in a fruitful cooperation with Babel, CivisPlus, Merimna and SolidarityNow.”
As Epaminondas Farmakis, Managing Director at SolidarityNow, states: “Unaccompanied and separated children are the most vulnerable group in the migratory flows that arrive daily in our country. They are children who have lost their families during the journey, or who have been forced to leave their homes in search of a better future in Europe. They arrive in Greece alone, in order to continue their journey to Central Europe but are threatened at all stages of their journey by smugglers and other criminal networks, and are often forced to live in inhumane conditions. For this reason, there is an urgent need to ensure their protection and decent living conditions. This is exactly what we are trying to achieve through this program, along with the organizations Faros, Merimna, CivisPlus and Babel.”
Through the “Following their Footsteps” program – from June 2016 until December 2017 – we aim to develop the following activities:
Street-work in places where refugees congregate in order to identify approximately 500 unaccompanied and separated children.
Operation of a temporary shelter with capacity of 20 children for the provision of temporary accommodation to 280 unaccompanied minors and separated children until they get appointed to permanent shelters.
Greek language courses for the better integration of children who remain in the country, through the operation of two classes for more than 100 children.
Capacity building of street-workers and other caregivers working with unaccompanied and separated minors. Overall, 50 professionals will be trained on grief counselling, as many children are orphans or have recently lost a loved one. Additionally, two supervisory teams will be created for a total of 20 to 24 professionals which through monthly sessions will maximize the effectiveness of the teams working in the field.
Research on the reasons that Greece has a very high rate of absconding. This will be the first time that such research will be conducted in our country. The ultimate goal is to draft a Policy Brief with specific policies and proposals on how to address the issue.
Advocacy and awareness – raising of stakeholders (NGOs, public institutions, academia, health professionals, etc.) in order to reduce the phenomenon of absconding.