majority of the cases newcomers waiting to be registered are placed directly in sections of the CCACs used as accommodation areas. In Kos and Samos, sections used in past as ‘Safe Areas’, in which dire conditions prevail, might host the newcomers until registration. In Chios, the so called ‘Agnodikis’ section, which was previously used as COVID-19 quarantine site, has been used in exceptional cases as a ‘waiting area’. Moreover, in Lesvos exit from the accommodation structures (‘οικίσκους’) where newcomers are placed, is permitted only in case of emergency until registration. During their waiting period, confined newcomers have extremely hindered access to any services, including medical support, unless urgent medical needs occur. The potential repercussions for limited access are significant, as newcomers are frequently exposed to violence en route and/or in their country of origin and present specific health vulnerabilities. This includes, for example, survivors of shipwrecks, GBV survivors, pregnant women, individuals with non-communicable chronic diseases, such as diabetes or cardiovascular conditions who may need immediate (health) support. Based on observation from the field, in practice, newcomers are allowed to exit the CCACs following registration, despite the imposition of the ‘restriction of liberty’, with the exception of Samos that followed different practices during the reporting period.277 A geographical restriction is also systematically imposed on every newly-arrived person on the Greek islands by the Head of the Asylum Service, imposing the obligation to remain on the islands. This is separate to the decision of the Head of the CCAC imposing a de facto detention period of up to 25 days, within the premises of the respective CACC (so-called “restriction of movement”). For more details on the geographical limitation on the Greek Eastern Aegean Islands, see Reception conditions - Freedom of movement. Unaccompanied children, are prohibited from exiting the “SAFE Zone”, which is a fenced container section of the CCACs guarded by security personnel and where they are subject to “restriction of liberty” until their placement and transfer to shelters for minors. During 2024, the waiting period for the placement of unaccompanied minors (UAM) in a ‘restriction of liberty status’ in CCAC to shelters for minors was short. However, by the end of 2024n the waiting time had alarmingly increased. As a result, the number of minors in the “SAFE Zones” of CCACs of Samos, Leros and Kos by far exceeded the actual capacity of the sites, further restricting the already limited access to essential services for children, such as medical care, legal aid and representation, education and often lack of essential clothing, blankets and bedding. 278 Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos noted during a visit in Samos on February 2025 that the designated “SAFE zone”, designed for 200 minors, currently held 500, many exceeding the 25-day legal stay limit, some even having stayed for over 120 days.279 Similarly, the Leros “SAFE Zone” had reached over two times the sections’ nominal capacity by the end of November 2024, with the people living under deplorable conditions and constant police interventions in the “SAFE Zone” section. 280 On 5 February 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) acknowledged the grave risks that children in CCACs face and granted interim measures in the case O.A. and Others v. Greece concerning four unaccompanied children in the CCAC of Samos. The ECtHR ordered the Greek authorities, among other actions, “to ensure their protection from ill-treatment, if necessary, by facilitating their lodging of criminal complaints,” as children report being subjected to police violence within the so-called “safe areas”, recognising that due to the extreme congestion and the absence of child-appropriate services, these children’s daily lives are marked by tension, insecurity, and fear. 281 This judgment is part of a growing body of recent interim measures by the ECtHR highlighting the ongoing serious risks and harmful, inappropriate conditions faced by children in the “safe zones” of island CCACs. On 2 July 2025, the ECtHR granted interim measures upon an urgent request submitted in late June on 277 278 279 280 281 GNCHR, On-site visit to Samos: Non-compliance with basic standards reception conditions at the CCAC of Samos, 2 April 2024, available in Greek here. GCR, Joint Press Release “Hundreds of unaccompanied children in Unsafe Zones: Need for an Immediate Activation of Relocation”, 05 December 2024, available at: https://tinyurl.com/vuyau9zh. Kathimerini, “Samos’ ‘safe zone’ leaves migrant kids in limbo, 28 February 2025, available at: https://tinyurl.com/27vyukbf. Δημοκρατική Ρόδου, ”Tense atmosphere in the accommodation of unaccompanied minors in the Facility of Leros”, 21 November 2024, available in greek at: https://tinyurl.com/y9ns2v88. ECtHR, O.A. and Others v. Greece, [Application no.2570/25]: available at: https://tinyurl.com/4juu77jz. 69