Social Work & Society ▪▪▪ A. Fili, V. Xythali: The Continuum of Neglect: Unaccompanied Minors in Greece The Continuum of Neglect: Unaccompanied Minors in Greece Andriani Fili, Researcher, Oxford University Virginia Xythali, Psychologist and Practitioner in Greece 1 1 Introduction Irregular entry into Europe has increasingly occurred across the Greek-Turkish border. Characterized as one of Europe’s deadliest borders, irregular crossing from Turkey to Greece, especially through the islands of the Eastern Aegean, has recently witnessed a dramatic upsurge, making 2015 a record year. Among the new arrivals, and with increasing frequency, 2 are children who arrive in Greece unaccompanied . There are many reasons why they arrive in Greece without a parent or a caregiver. Many minors travel alone because they are fleeing violence after their families have been murdered or disappeared in their home countries. Others have been separated during the journey, while many minors leave to escape various forms of exploitation. Often, they are sent by their parents for better life opportunities and in other cases children that arrive alone in Europe act as a pull factor for the rest of their family (Galante 2014). Whatever the reason and despite their well-documented vulnerabilities (Derluyn & Broekaert 2008), in Greece they remain neglected in a system that appears inept to address even their most basic needs. Greece has a long tradition of failing to provide sanctuary to people in need of international protection (Sitaropoulos & Skordas 2004) and a poorly-developed system for UAM. When in Greece, minors do not receive differentiated treatment as there is no specialized state infrastructure for receiving and dealing with these children and no staff professionally qualified to examine their claims. Furthermore, there are generally no guarantees for their secure accommodation. This often leads to the implementation of the measure of ‘protective custody’, which in practice equals detention, pending their referral to a dedicated reception facility. In addition, under the EU-Turkey Joint Statement (European Council 2016), minors, like all new arrivals in Greek islands, are immediately detained in order to be individually 3 assessed by the Greek authorities . 1 We would like to dedicate this piece to Shaker and Abdala, two UAM, who at times felt trapped in Greece but who managed to take control of their lives. We would also like to thank Thanassis Tyrovolas for his valuable comments on earlier drafts of this paper. 2 According to the Greek Presidential Decree 220/2007 an UAM is “any third country national and stateless person below the age of eighteen who arrives in the territory of Greece unaccompanied by an adult responsible for him and for as long as he is not effectively taken into the care of such a person or a minor who was left unaccompanied after having entered Greece.” 3 According to Article 14 of Law 4375/2016, new arrivals are subject to a restriction on freedom of movement within the premises of the Centers during the reception and identification procedure; as far as asylum seekers are concerned, their entire asylum procedure can be conducted within the Center (http://www.asylumineurope.org/news/04-04-2016/greece-asylum-reform-wake-eu-turkey-deal). Social Work & Society, Volume 15, Issue 2, 2017 ISSN 1613-8953 ▪▪▪ http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:464-sws-1264 1