16 a rule. information and legal representation on Leros. b. Detention of unaccompanied During the reporting period there were no minors NGOs or legal actors operating full-time on the island. UNHCR also does not have a permanent Second, Equal Rights has observed an presence on Leros, but instead makes field increasing number of unaccompanied minors visits to the island as needed. Between July and detained in the Kos PRDC since June 2022. Of December 2022, Equal Rights made two field the six cases involving wrongly registered visits to Leros and undertook two cases from UAMs, five of the applicants underwent their the island; however Equal Rights does not have registration and identification procedures on an office on the island, nor an attorney Leros. Equal Rights therefore has serious dedicated to undertaking Leros cases. In concerns about the lawfulness of the age November 2022, the NGO Praksis opened a assessment procedure on Leros and whether it joint Kos-Leros position to represent adequately protects the best interest of the unaccompanied minors. Otherwise though, child as guaranteed under Greek, EU, and there are no permanent legal actors or other international law.30 NGOs on the island, which has had a direct c. Rejection of rejected asylum seekers based in wrongful information impact on the detention landscape on Kos. 2. Detention of Vulnerable Persons i. Generally The November 2021 edition of this report Third, several participants interviewed for this highlighted the mass detention of vulnerable report stated that they received conflicting or persons and the enormous impact it had on incorrect information regarding the legal their asylum cases and physical and mental ramifications of withdrawing from their health. In particular, the report found that the appeal, with participants choosing to authorities failed to conduct vulnerability withdraw their appeal under the assumption procedures, routinely overlooked serious they would obtain a voluntary return order physical and mental illnesses, and rarely that would allow them to leave Leros for implemented the required legal safeguards.31 mainland Greece. Farouq explained that he Our research also showed that people with withdrew from his appeal because, serious illnesses had no access to medical care, “I was misinformed somehow. I wanted a victims of torture were routinely detained, and voluntary return document. I had seen someone women who were survivors of gender-based who [the voluntary return paper] was given to, the violence were housed alongside men.32 single father of a child. It was not given to me.” As reported above, the demographics inside The issues raised by the cases from Leros are the Kos PRDC have changed considerably since inextricably linked to asylum seekers’ access to we published the first edition of this report. 30 See e.g., UN General Assembly, Convention on the Rights of the Child, 20 November 1989, United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577; See also, Art. 6 Regulation 604/2013; Recital 33 and Art. 25(1)(a) Directive 2013/32/EU; Art. 80(3)(a) Law 4939/2022; Article 10 JMD No. 9889/13-08-202. 31 Detained and Forgotten, supra note 3, at 57-61 32 Detained and Forgotten, supra note 3, at 57-61 ‘Still detained and forgotten’ – Update on Detention Policies, Practices, and Conditions on Kos 2022/23