130. Within all the centres visited, there were almost no organised activities. The kindergarten and
play areas at Lesvos and Samos CCACs were welcomed but insufficient for the needs. Similar
structures should be put in place at all the CCACs.51 It was however positive that free Wi-Fi was
offered at all centres. The Committee considers that immigration detention should be a last resort
and limited in time, but if persons are deprived of their liberty for prolonged periods, they should be
offered activities and educational classes to keep them busy. This requires staff to animate the
activities such as sports instructors (football, basketball, etc.) or teachers.
The CPT recommends that the Greek authorities take steps to offer organised activities within
the CCACs, especially for children.
4.
Unaccompanied and separated children
131. At both the Kos and Samos centres visited, there was a dedicated section for unaccompanied
and separated children (UASCs), access to which was controlled by a security guard. The sections
were surrounded by high mesh fences topped with rolls of barbed wire. In this regard, the CPT’s
recommendation made in paragraph 105 is also valid.
132. At the time of the visit, the UASC section at Kos was accommodating 103 boys and four girls
primarily from Syria, Egypt and Palestine in a one-storey prefabricated building with 24 sleeping
rooms. Most of the children had been held in the centre for longer than a month. In numerous private
interviews, the children stated that they had little to do (apart from playing some football and
attending a few Greek language classes), and that they required sanitary products and underwear
as well as socks, jackets and shoes. The boys also complained that the amount of food offered to
them was too little.
The four girls (two of whom were 10 years old) were accommodated together in a room on the same
corridor as the boys. They expressed their feeling of being unsafe, that some of the older boys would
make sexual jokes and pull down their trousers. Consequently, the girls retreated into their room as
a refuge. At night, there were no staff in the section to guarantee order and safety.
133. The UASC section at Samos was accommodating around 100 boys and 50 girls52 primarily
from Palestine, Somalia and Syria in two one-storey prefabricated buildings of 20 rooms each. The
rooms were equipped with two sets of bunk beds, four lockable metal cupboards, a fridge and an
air-conditioning unit. They each had a large window and artificial lighting. Many had been held in the
“safe zone” since early/mid-September 2023 as the shelters on the island and on the mainland were
all full up. Also, the lengths of stay were prolonged as the procedures to assign a relative of a UASC
already in the CCAC as a guardian took time to complete.
The children were offered Greek and maths classes every weekday morning and, besides football
and basketball, some evening activities were offered to the girls. Nevertheless, the children
complained about a lack of structured activities and the fact that they were confined to the section.
134. At Kos CCAC, the staff allocated to the section for UASCs were far too few53 and often were
not present as they had other duties around the centre and were not in a position to assist the
children in their asylum interviews. At Samos CCAC, the staffing levels were slightly better thanks to
the NGO Zeuxis having allocated two psychologists, two social workers and two interpreters to work
with the children. This allowed for a more systematic entry interview to be conducted and support to
be offered to the children prior to their asylum interviews. However, many of the children felt they
were not getting any support following the traumatic experiences of their journeys, and that they
were not given any information about their asylum procedures in a language or form they could
understand, or offered any legal aid.
51. At the Fylakio RIC, there was a school room which children could attend for daily activities during the week.
52. Another 43 UASCs had been assigned a guardian (this is a relative) within the CCAC and were no longer
held in the safe zone.
53. A lawyer coordinator, two social workers from the NGO Zeuxis, a part-time care giver and an interpreter.
40
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