Unaccompanied minors aysulm seekers in Greece

The issue of unaccompanied minors cannot be dealt without taking into account a number of parameter linked to the Greek reality, namely the overall deficiencies of the asylum procedure, the flaws and limitations of the country’s welfare system and the human trafficking and exploitation dimension. It must also be kept in mind that, for a number of minor in need of international protection, Greece is a transit station rather than the final destination. The study found out that there are a number of prerequisites for a comprehensive and durable solution to the problem of unaccompanied minors: these include changes in the country’s immigration policy, in the asylum procedure and, globally, in the Greek social welfare system. If the study extended to these areas and made proposals for changes in the relevant policies, it could run the risk to become a list of wishful thoughts or a political manifesto. The researchers opted, this for proposals that may be, realistically, implemented in the current context and which aim to help improve the situation today, rather than designing a global, comprehensive and definitive solution that requires political will and significant funding.