20 July 2017•Update: 21 July 2017
By Idyli Tsakiri
ATHENS
At least 60 migrant minors stranded on the Greek island of Lesbos are currently trying to prove to the authorities they are not adults, a human rights researcher has told Anadolu Agency.
Eva Cosse of Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the real number could be higher as Greece’s Migration Ministry has yet to provide official data.
Cosse’s research was based on unofficial statistics gathered by NGOs operating on the island.
“When a minor claims to be an adult, [the authorities] immediately go with it, but when they claim to be children, then the authorities invest time and resources trying to prove they are adults,” she said.
A report published by HRW on Wednesday said unaccompanied minors are often misidentified as adults, leaving them “vulnerable to abuse”.
Asylum Service personnel were not immediately available to comment.
Unaccompanied minors in Greece are entitled to special care and settlement in centers specifically designed for their needs.
However, the country’s limited resources and time-consuming procedures often leave such children stranded in camps, police departments or detention centers, possibly for months, resulting in several lying about their age, Cosse said.
Vulnerable
“Also, unaccompanied children are being taken away from family and friends, with the exception of parents,” the HRW researcher added. “This leads to kids claiming to be adults in fear of being separated from their siblings or extended family.”
Minors registered as adults “are vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, and other abuse,” Wednesday’s HRW report states.
They live in sites with unrelated adult single men, are exposed to “inhumane living conditions, including overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and frequent incidents of violence; and are unable to go to school or otherwise access education,” the report added.
It is crucial that child-friendly information is provided upon arrival at reception centers, Cosse said. “The authorities must properly identify the ages of the minors and explain to them why it is important they don’t lie,” she concluded.
Lesbos is one of the Aegean islands most affected by the refugee crisis.
According to official government numbers 4,500 migrants are stranded in camps; the island’s total capacity is not more than 3,500 people.
At least two incidents of rioting at the crowded Moria refugee and migrant camp on Lesbos have taken place in recent weeks.
