SYRIZA: In the Parliament the issue of the disappearance of unaccompanied minor refugee children –

The issue of the disappearance of an unknown number of unaccompanied minors of immigrant and refugee origin, in Greece, is being raised by SYRIZA-PS MPs with their question to the Ministers of Immigration and Asylum, Social Cohesion and Family, at the initiative of Renas Douros.

On the occasion of the latest research by the international journalistic research network Lost in Europe, according to which 51,433 unaccompanied minors of immigrant and refugee origin have been declared as disappeared from structures after their arrival in a European country from 2021 to 2023, the women and men of parliament of SYRIZA-PS, they raise the case of Greece. They point out that Greece belongs to the countries that, according to the International Network, “kept data in 2018-2020 and appear in 2024 to no longer keep such data”.

Looking for statistical data, the Lost in Europe Network addressed the General Secretariat of Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection (GGEPTHP) and the headquarters of the Hellenic Police, without receiving substantial answers. The MPs, in their question, remind that in the Network’s research in 2021 in Greece, 2,118 disappearances were recorded during the period 2018-2020 (the first half of 2020). The data was provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while data was also contained in the report of the European Migration Network of the European Commission (2020) for 2018 and 2019.

Based on these data, the SYRIZA-PS MPs ask the ministers, firstly, whether Greece currently maintains data on the disappearances of unaccompanied minors of immigrant/refugee origin and if not, what is the reason for this omission. And secondly, if data is kept, which agency is responsible for it.

Full parliamentary question on missing minors

“Topic: Opacity on the matter of the disappearance of unaccompanied minors of migrant / refugee origin

The most vulnerable part of the refugees are the unaccompanied minors who experience the traumatic experience of being a refugee without any protection from a family, parent, guardian or other adult.

According to the latest research of the international journalistic research network Lost in Europe, 51,433 unaccompanied minors of immigrant / refugee origin have been reported as missing from structures after their arrival in a European country from 2021 to 2023. However, according to the network, this finding it is but a part of reality. And this is because “the collection or even the recording of relevant data has proven difficult due to many factors, such as non-systematic and uniform recording in all EU countries, with countries not even keeping relevant statistics – or at least so they claim-, possible “double-registrations” of children who leave one structure and then return to the same or go to another, unaccompanied minors who are registered in one country as adults and in another as minors, etc.

In particular, with the research “an increased tendency is observed in the authorities of the EU countries. not to respond, countries to insist firmly not to keep such data (France, Bulgaria, Romania) or countries that kept data in 2018-2020 to appear in 2024 to no longer keep such data. Our country and Spain appear as such”.

As far as our country is concerned, the Lost in Europe research network addressed the General Secretariat of Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection (GGEPTHP), requesting statistics on declarations of disappearances of unaccompanied minors from the structures. In the unsigned, as for the responding service, response, “after three weeks and constant harassment” it is emphasized that “no data on disappearances is collected. The competent authority for the collection of such data is the Greek Police”. In fact, the network addressed the EL.AS headquarters. with the same request for statistics, to receive the answer that “the Greek Police does not keep the requested statistics”.

It is recalled that in the Network’s 2021 survey in Greece, 2,118 disappearances were recorded during the period 2018-2020 (the first half of 2020). The data was provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while data was also contained in the report of the European Migration Network of the European Commission (2020) for 2018 and 2019. There were discrepancies between the data of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the report, which they justified as cases of informal escapes of returning children – something described in this year’s response to the Network and the General Secretariat of Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection, which, it should be noted, hosts on its website statistics on how many unaccompanied minors stay in existing structures each month based on data from EKKA (National Center for Social Solidarity).

Because unaccompanied minors of immigrant/refugee origin have the right, like all children, to full child protection in every part of their journey, from their countries of origin to Greece and eventually to other EU countries,

Because the protection of minors is a fundamental constitutional imperative and a legal obligation of state institutions, in accordance with the Geneva Convention on the Legal Status of Refugees as well as in accordance with the Council of Europe’s New Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027), the Strategy of the European Union for the Rights of the Child, the law 4960//2022 (Official Gazette A 145 – 22.07.2022) National Guardianship System and Framework for Hosting Unaccompanied Minors,

Because as it appears from the investigations, most recently that of the international journalistic research network Lost in Europe, while Greece kept data on the disappearances of unaccompanied minors of immigrant/refugee origin until 2020, today the relevant data is “missing”.

The Ministers are asked according to their competence

1. Does our country currently have data on the disappearances of unaccompanied minors of immigrant/refugee origin? If not, what is the reason for this omission?
2. In the event that the country keeps data, which agency is responsible for it, apart from EL.AS and GEPTHP, to which the National Emergency Response Mechanism that concerns the identification of unaccompanied children who are homeless or in unsafe conditions also falls under?

Document submission request
We ask for the submission of every relevant document for information on the data related to the disappearances of unaccompanied minors of immigrant/refugee origin.

The questioners and requesting members of parliament

Dourou Irini (Rena)
Apostolakis Evangelos
Avlonitis Alexandros – Christos
Veta Calliope
Gavril Georgios
Thracian Urania (Rania)
Kasimati Irini (Nina)
Kedikoglou Simeon
Malama Sunday
Mamoulakis Charalambos (Haris)
Alexandros Meikopoulos
Konstantinos Barkas
Ekaterini Notopoulou
Xanthopoulos Theofilos
George Papailiou
Papas Petros
Poulos Panagiou (Iota)
Ioannis Sarakiotis
Tsapanidou Virgin (Popi)
Famous Socrates
Psychogios Georgios”