institution over time, and no one knows where they went.14 Their gradual departure did not ring alarm bells in Greece until the Albanian media published a story.15 By the time the Greek Ombudsman investigated the case, the management of the “Protection and Social Care for Street Children” program lacked institutional leadership and the “Aghia Varvara” center had staff who were insufficient in numbers and untrained.16 Despite the Ombudsman’s investigation, no one was held accountable for the grave neglect of children in state care. The Greek government’s failure to adequately protect children from third countries has not gone unnoticed by international human rights bodies. In 2002, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed its concerns about insufficient attention paid to the situation of unaccompanied migrant and asylumseeking children, and it called on Greece to develop mechanisms to attend to these children’s specific needs.17 In 2004, the United Nations Human Rights Committee noted an “absence of child welfare protection.” It urged Greece to protect unaccompanied foreign children and to refrain from releasing them without any care arrangements.18 In 2005, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography expressed concern about the absence of an institutionalized child protection system and the lack of adequate shelters for unaccompanied children, which exposes children to trafficking and other risks.19 14 Greek Ombudsman, “Conclusions: Implementation of the Program ‘Protection and Social Care for Street Children,’” March 2004, http://www.synigoros.gr/reports/ag_varvara.pdf (accessed August 18, 2008), p. 15. The center recorded the admission of children from war-affected countries, including Iraq and Sierra Leone, a foreshadowing of the current arrival of unaccompanied children. 15 The Albanian branch of the NGO Terre des Hommes brought the case to the attention of the media. 16 Greek Ombudsman, “Conclusions: Implementation of the Program,” pp. 6, 16-17, 23. 17 Committee on the Rights of the Child, “Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties under Article 44 of the Convention, Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child: Greece,” CRC/C/15/Add.170, April 2, 2002, http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G02/409/76/PDF/G0240976.pdf?OpenElement (accessed August 12, 2008) paras. 68-69. 18 UN Human Rights Committee, “Consideration of Reports Submitted by States parties under Article 40 of the Covenant, Concluding Observations of the Human Rights Committee, Greece,” CCPR/CO/83/GRC, April 25, 2005, http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G05/413/94/PDF/G0541394.pdf?OpenElement (accessed August 12, 2008), para. 10 (b). 19 UN Commission on Human Rights, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Juan Miguel Petit, Mission to Greece, E/CN.4/2006/67/Add.3, March 27, 2006, paras. 48-49. Left to Survive 14