When the migrant crisis heightened in 2015, Greece acted as a stopping point for refugees headed to different parts of the European Union. However, over time, the country’s role shifted and migrants had to complete the entirety of their asylum procedure on the islands before heading elsewhere in the EU. As a result, an unprecedented number of migrants are living in Greece, and all the organizations and state agencies involved are considering different approaches to provide the overwhelming amount of refugees with the resources needed and looking for long term solutions for the individual cases.
Unaccompanied minors are an especially vulnerable segment of the refugee population, and face unique challenges as they attempt to navigate refugee camps, file for asylum or request volunteer repatriation to their countries of origin. As of 2019, over 5,162 unaccompanied refugee children were living in Greece. Because of a lack of shelters for the large numbers of refugees, some children are living in temporary identification centers before permanent placement can take place.
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ONETrack International is a registered charity with the Greek state and our main priority will be reuniting minors with their families within the context of ONETrack’s mission. The ONETrack team in Greece is currently in discussions with relevant actors in the response to determine the best methods to support orphaned children within the unaccompanied minors demographic who are in need of family reintegration.
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