• available, and the child’s exercise of fundamental rights. A decision to return a child should not be made and carried out solely by the police. Instead, the procedure must include oversight by an independent body and independent and competent representation for the child. Repatriation decisions furthermore must respect Greece’s obligation under articles 3 and 8 of the European Human Rights Convention, which say that a person may not be returned to a country where he or she faces torture or inhuman or degrading treatment, and that the person’s right for family and private life must be respected. Revise Greece’s anti-trafficking legislation by broadening the definition of trafficking and expanding the exception clause for child victims. Protection from deportation and access to benefits should not depend on the trafficking victim’s consent to cooperate in a criminal investigation against traffickers. To the European Commission • • • Examine the initiation of infringement procedures against Greece for violating its legal obligations to provide appropriate reception conditions for unaccompanied children seeking asylum, and for failing to guarantee minimum standards on procedures for granting and withdrawing refugee status. Propose a separate instrument for unaccompanied children who enter the European Union (EU) to ensure the full respect of their rights and special needs from their arrival until the identification of a durable solution. In the meantime, propose strengthening the protection of unaccompanied children in the upcoming revision of asylum directives by ensuring that provisions for unaccompanied children are in line with international law applicable in all EU member states. Consider allocating to Greece funding under the Commission’s Emergency Fund to increase care placements for unaccompanied children. Make such funding dependent on Greece’s commitment to addressing the systemic flaws of its child protection system, providing enhanced services for unaccompanied children, and reforming deportation and detention practices in accordance with international standards. Left to Survive 108

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents