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Strasbourg, 11.05.2016 - A new report addressing the situation of refugees and migrants in Greece and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” was published today by Tomáš Boček, the Special Representative on Migration and Refugees of the Council of Europe’s Secretary General. The report is based on his fact-finding mission to the two countries from 7 to 11 March.
The Special Representative visited a shelter for unaccompanied children in Athens, a “hotspot” and reception centre on the island of Chios and camps in both countries. Some of the camps were seriously overcrowded following the build-up of refugees and migrants as a result of the closure of the western Balkan route, which occurred shortly before his visit. In these camps, living conditions were extreme and only basic needs were being catered for. The report calls for the Council of Europe to mobilise resources to enable the necessary additional capacity to be built to house migrants and refugees in decent living conditions in both countries.
An important issue addressed in the report is the treatment of refugee and migrant children, especially unaccompanied minors, in Greece. The report calls for alternatives to detention for children who are often detained while their asylum claims are being processed or on their way to shelters. It also draws attention to the importance of making some provision for education in the camps and the need to strengthen the Greek child-protection system to protect refugee and migrant children from exploitation.
The Special Representative welcomed the generally supportive response of local populations in Greece to the rising number of new arrivals and underlined the need for integration policies focusing on the fight against intolerance and discrimination.
Finally, the Special Representative was concerned at reports of push-backs and allegations of ill-treatment by those guarding the border of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". He recommended human rights training for all relevant personnel.
In addition to site visits, the Special Representative and his team had meetings with various ministers and other relevant officials as well as representatives of UNHCR, UNICEF, the ICRC and a number of NGOs.
The mission of the Special Representative on Migration and Refugees is to gather information and propose assistance to the Council of Europe member States, in order to help them comply with human rights standards in times of large-scale arrivals of migrants and refugees. In addition to making recommendations on improving the situation of migrants and refugees in Greece and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, the Special Representative has identified relevant Council of Europe bodies that could provide concrete assistance in achieving these goals. The next step is to work with these bodies and the relevant authorities of Greece and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” to ensure the implementation of the recommendations in his report.
Contact : Päivi Suhonen, Communications officer, Tel. +33 3 90 21 53 70
Council of Europe Directorate of Communications Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60 Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11 pressunit@coe.int www.coe.int