December 2008 1-56432-418-4 Left to Survive Systematic Failure to Protect Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Greece Map of Greece ............................................................................................................... 1 Summary and Key Recommendations ........................................................................... 2 Key Recommendations............................................................................................. 5 Methodology and Scope .......................................................................................... 7 I. Unaccompanied Child Migrants and Asylum Seekers in Greece ................................ 10 Flight from Poverty, Persecution, Exploitation and Discrimination ........................... 11 Greek Law and the Protection System for Unaccompanied Children ........................ 15 II. First Contact with the Authorities ............................................................................ 19 Assessing Age ...................................................................................................... 20 Guardianship ......................................................................................................... 25 Assessing Vulnerability ......................................................................................... 28 III. Violence against Children by State Agents .............................................................32 Ill-Treatment by Port Police Officers in Patras .......................................................... 32 Other Cases of Abuse by State Agents .................................................................... 37 IV. Unaccompanied Children Seeking Asylum .............................................................. 41 Asylum Procedures for Unaccompanied Children .................................................... 42 V. Detention of Unaccompanied Children ..................................................................... 53 Duration of Detention............................................................................................. 55 VI. The Duty of Care .....................................................................................................65 Care Arrangements ................................................................................................ 65 VII. Exploitation of Children ......................................................................................... 75 Child Labor ............................................................................................................ 76 Trafficking............................................................................................................. 86