After assisting 7,000 unaccompanied Children, Greek Network for Children’s Rights forced to suspend protection services
Due to inaction from the government, Eurochild member NCR (The Network for Children’s Rights) announced the suspension of the support activities of its child protection unit for unaccompanied children.
Statement
The Network for the Rights of the Child (Network) announces the suspension of the support activities for unaccompanied children carried out by the Child Protection Unit of our non-profit association, which were part of the program "Strengthening the protection system for unaccompanied minors and vulnerable women applicants and beneficiaries of international protection", which is implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and funded by the National Development Program through the Special Service for Coordination and Management of Migration and Home Affairs Programs of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
Given the expiration of the relevant cooperation agreement, on 30/4/26, and since, despite our constant pressure for information and planning of any follow-up, there has been no official response and commitment from the competent Ministry of Immigration and Asylum, even at the last minute, the Network cannot maintain its above services to unaccompanied minors at the current time as it does not have the necessary resources but also does not have the necessary authorization and legalization to do so.
As for resources, the Network, throughout the previous period of the implementation of the said program, was essentially forced to self-finance due to very serious delays in the payment of this specific funding, which continue while the program ends today.
At this point, we would like to recall that the protection of unaccompanied children was a clear and essential choice of the Prime Minister of the country himself, as it was his own decision that created the Special (now General) Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons, which was integrated into the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum.
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