Athens, 7 July 2022

The Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) expresses its deep satisfaction with the landmark decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which vindicates the children and their mothers who lost their lives in the 2014 shipwreck of Farmakonisi.

Η πρόσφατη περίπτωση του νεαρού Σαϊντού (Saidou), πρόσφυγα από την Γουινέα, κατέδειξε έντονα το πρόβλημα των ασυνόδευτων παιδιών, τα οποία αν και βρίσκονται στην χώρα υπό την φροντίδα της Πολιτείας, στερούνται ένα μακροχρόνιο πλαίσιο νομικής προστασίας, σύμφωνα με το βέλτιστο συμφέρον τους.

Η συγκεκριμένη υπόθεση, έφερε στην επιφάνεια τη συστημική έλλειψη ενός καθεστώτος προστασίας που να διασφαλίζει την απρόσκοπτη πρόσβαση σε όλα τα δικαιώματα των παιδιών όπως η στέγαση, η εκπαίδευση, η υγεία, η ίση μεταχείριση με κάθε άλλο παιδί. Ο κίνδυνος να στερηθούν τα δικαιώματά τους αυξάνεται και αμέσως μετά την ενηλικίωσή τους, όταν το ενδεχόμενο απέλασης από την χώρα είναι πλέον ορατό.

Η λειτουργία ενός αποτελεσματικού συστήματος Επιτροπείας των ασυνόδευτων και χωρισμένων παιδιών, αποτελεί μείζον ζήτημα προστασίας και απαραίτητη προϋπόθεση για τη διασφάλιση του βέλτιστου συμφέροντος του παιδιού  και την εξασφάλιση των δικαιωμάτων των παιδιών αυτών, όπως αυτά κατοχυρώνονται σε διεθνείς συμβάσεις, το ενωσιακό δίκαιο και την κείμενη νομοθεσία. Ιδίως δε καθώς τα ασυνόδευτα και χωρισμένα παιδιά αποτελούν μια από τις πλέον ευάλωτες ομάδες του πληθυσμού που χρήζουν ειδικής πρόνοιας και προστασία από τη μεριάτων κρατικών Αρχών.

The new issue of the Greek Asylum Case Law Report released today provides excerpts from 79 decisions issued in the first half of 2022 by Administrative Courts, the Independent Appeals Committees and the Asylum Service.

In addition to the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), HIAS Greece and Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), Issue 1/2022 of the Greek Asylum Case Law Report received contributions from civil society organisations METAdrasi, Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid and Equal Rights Beyond Borders, as well as lawyers of the Legal Aid Registry of the Asylum Service, selected from their respective casework.

This issue covers topics such as the interpretation of the “safe third country” concept, evidence assessment and refugee status determination, procedural safeguards in the asylum procedure, the workings of administrative appeals and of judicial protection of asylum seekers, the right to family reunification, as well as immigration detention.

You can access Issue 1/2022 of the Greek Asylum Case Law Report here.

Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)

HIAS Greece

Refugee Support Aegean (RSA)

Limited access to health care services of applicants and beneficiaries of international protection in Greece

A new report by Diotima Center, the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) and the International Rescue Committee Hellas (IRC Hellas) reveals the multiple difficulties and barriers to accessing healthcare faced by people on the move in Greece. It includes reports and testimonials from applicants and beneficiaries of international protection in Greece, including their own experiences of healthcare services. The report was published in the context of the project "Do the human right thing - Raising our Voice for Refugee Rights", implemented under the Active citizens fund programme.

The report finds that people on the move in Greece have too often faced a lack of interpretation services, experienced racism from healthcare professionals, or long waiting times for appointments resulting in minor health issues becoming much more serious chronic conditions. In some instances, medical professionals have even refused to perform procedures (for example, abortion in cases of rape), or done so without consent (such as cesarean sections).

You may read the press release here and the executive summary of the report here.

The Greek Council for Refugees, in partnership with Diotima Centre, International Rescue Committee Hellas (IRC) and Popaganda, have the pleasure to invite you to the closing event of the project “Do the human right thing – Raising our Voice for Refugee Rights”, which will take place on Thursday, 30 June 2022, at 11 am, at the Auditorium “Antonis Tritsis”, Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Athens (50, Akademias str.).

Through this project, implemented in the context of the Active Citizens Fund, we had the opportunity to contact not only groups and communities of refugees and asylum seekers but also decision makers. We discussed about good practices as well as obstacles. We talked about solutions to issues and how, only with a house, a job and healthcare, can one enjoy equal rights in Greek society.

We invite you to see with us the story and the results of various aspects of the rights to housing, employment and healthcare, the rights to life!

* All measures aimed at preventing the spread of the covid-19 pandemic will be followed, as stipulated.

Event programme:

Άρθρο Popaganda

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Άρθρο Popaganda

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Άρθρο Popaganda

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Άρθρο Popaganda

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