functioning of care centers for unaccompanied children, and levels and quality of service differ considerably from one center to another.207 Although unaccompanied foreign children are not prohibited by law from entering care centers designated for Greek children, in practice, they may be barred from gaining access, or centers do not have adequate resources to care for foreign children.208 The juvenile prosecutor in Athens told us that if she called such a center to refer a foreign child, “they ask whether the child is HIV positive or has a criminal record. It’s very difficult to place a child in those centers…. The Ministry of Health is not at the frontline.... it doesn’t really care and I’m the person at the frontline. That is why we try to push NGOs to find shelters.”209 With the exception of one large-scale center on Lesvos Island that offers 100 places for unaccompanied children irrespective of their asylum status, it is very difficult for unaccompanied children who have not asked for asylum to access other statesponsored accommodation.210 Maria Kaldani from the NGO Arsis explained to us: “As an unaccompanied child you don’t have regular status. If a child has not asked for asylum we can’t do anything for the child. The status of illegality overrules any other status…. The shelter would ask whether the child speaks Greek or has a passport. They would say the child needs to have a paper.”211 Foster care arrangements are currently not provided for but the Ministry of Health told us that this option was under discussion. Human Rights Watch meeting with Maria Trochani, secretary general, Secretariat for Social Solidarity, Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity, Athens, June 12, 2008. 207 For a full assessment of services in care centers for unaccompanied children see Papageorgiu and Dimitropoulou, Unaccompanied Minors Study, pp. 58-70. Only the Lavrio reception center for asylum seekers is set up through a legal provision, Presidential Decree 266/1999, and puts forth minimum standards. Access to the center, however, is very restricted for asylum seekers and it is not designed as a care center for unaccompanied children and they are not considered a group that is granted priority access; Presidential Decree 266/1999, art. 7, paras. 1-2. 208 The Greek Council for Refugees told us that unaccompanied foreign children referred to centers for Greek children absconded within one week. Center staff are neither trained to work with this category of children nor able to communicate with them. Email correspondence from Alexandros Anastasiou, Greek Council for Refugees, to Human Rights Watch, October 6, 2008. 209 Human Rights Watch interview with Sylla Papataksiarhi, prosecutor for juveniles, Athens, June 12, 2008. 210 Human Rights Watch interview with Alexandros Anastasiou, coordinator, social services department, Athens, June 6, 2008. 211 Human Rights Watch interview with Maria Kaldani, ARSIS, Athens, June 10, 2008. Left to Survive 66