not file an asylum application remain without regular status, that no minimum standards govern the operation of centers, and that large scale and isolated centers are not conducive to a child’s integration and may increase some children’s vulnerabilities. These are priority issues that need to be addressed by the government. A positive example was the referral procedure for unaccompanied children in the port town of Patras by the Hellenic Red Cross. Unaccompanied children referred to the Red Cross by police and port police were informed about their right to seek asylum and the option of going to a care center.223 If the program, including number of care places, had been extended to include all unaccompanied children, such a referral procedure would be an example of good practice. Human Rights Watch, however, learned at the end of August 2008 that the program was discontinued as the government did not step in when the EU funding was terminated.224 Planning and Financing of Care Placements The Ministry of Health’s plans for care placements do not extend beyond 2008 and they are dependent on funding from the European Commission’s Refugee Fund.225 The Ministry was unable to specify the exact number of care placements it was going to open in the coming two to five years.226 The Ministry provides funding for care centers in Greece on a one-year basis only, in some cases for even shorter periods.227 Such short funding cycles pose a real difficulty for entities in charge of centers to design their services and interventions according to children’s needs well in advance. Two crises led to the creation of care placements by the Ministry of Health. Both situations ensued after prosecutors, who acted as children’s guardians, ordered the confinement of around 70 unaccompanied children on Leros Island, and of 100 223 Human Rights Watch interview with Giorgios Bisbikis, public prosecutor, first instance court, Patras, June 9, 2008; Human Rights Watch interview with Nikos Komblas, Hellenic Red Cross lawyer, Patras, June 9, 2008; Human Rights Watch interview with Greek Ombdusman office, Athens, June 10, 2008. 224 Email correspondence from Dora Papadopoulou, Hellenic Red Cross, to Human Rights Watch, September 4, 2008. 225 See Papageorgiu and Dimitropoulou, Unaccompanied Minors Study, p. 70. 226 Letter from Maria Trochani, secretary general, Ministry of Health, to Human Rights Watch, October 3, 2008. 227 See Papageorgiu and Dimitropoulou, Unaccompanied Minors Study, p. 70. 69 Human Rights Watch December 2008