Sputnik — Greece and fellow EU member states have a legal obligation to care for and protect child refugees and pregnant women, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a press release on Wednesday.
“UNICEF calls for a well-managed process to be put in place to determine each child’s best interests and fulfill the basic needs of all children — including adequate accommodation, health care and protection against trafficking and exploitation in line with international and European laws,” the release stated.
UNICEF estimated that more than 22,000 refugee and migrant children are currently stranded in Greece. Moreover, many of those children face an uncertain future, poor living conditions and possible detention in the months ahead.
“Any decision about any child, whether a toddler or a teenager, whether with family or not, should be guided by the best interests of that child,” UNICEF’s Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe Marie-Pierre Poirier said.
UNICEF noted it is monitoring the return of refugees from Greece to Turkey under a recently approved agreement between Ankara and the European Union. The agreement exempts unaccompanied and separated children, children with disabilities, pregnant women and women who recently gave birth.
