that benefits and support in other EU countries are better. As a result, they attempt to travel illegally to another EU country, often a dangerous and life-threatening journey, in order to submit an asylum application or to remain there otherwise. Asylum Procedures for Unaccompanied Children Unaccompanied children who want to apply for asylum in Greece face serious obstacles in gaining access to asylum procedures. Some resort to seeking a letter from NGOs addressed to police authorities in order to be able to access the building and file an asylum application. During the asylum procedure unaccompanied children are rarely represented by a lawyer or guardian, and very few children are assisted in getting ready for their asylum interview. As a result, children are often not given an opportunity to fully explain their reasons for coming to Greece, which significantly reduces their chance of being granted refugee status. Indeed, the reality of the system is that their chances are close to zero.113 The law does not provide for legal representation for an asylum seeker, though it does not exclude it. However, there is a paucity of lawyers who represent asylum seekers in Greece, and this service is provided only by few NGOs or pro bono lawyers.114 Access to asylum procedures Even though police officials told Human Rights Watch that asylum applications by children are treated as a priority, children themselves described immense difficulties in accessing procedures.115 Unaccompanied children are among the approximately 1,000 persons who queue on Sunday mornings to submit their asylum applications at the Petrou Ralli police station116 in Athens, the facility where 94 113 See also Human Rights Watch, Greece – Stuck in a Revolving Door, pp. 86-105, for a full discussion about the Greek asylum system. 114 Most legal aid services are provided by three NGOs and a network of pro bono lawyers, and primarily in Athens: The Greek Council for Refugees, the Ecumenical Refugee Program, the Hellenic Red Cross, and the Group of Lawyers for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants. 115 Human Rights Watch interview with Christos Gavras, director asylum office, Athens, June 4, 2008 and Anastasios Festas, general manager of Aliens Division Attica, Athens, June 4, 2008. For a discussion on access to asylum on the Aegean Islands and the Evros region, see Human Rights Watch, Greece – Stuck in a Revolving Door, pp. 86-90. 116 The Petrou Ralli police station in Athens is the main facility in Greece where asylum applications are registered and where asylum interviews are held. The building also consists of a detention center where migrants and failed asylum seekers are held prior to deportation. Left to Survive 42