UNICEF Urges World Nations To Take In More Migrant Minors From Greek Camps Amid Pandemic

UNICEF Urges World Nations to Take in More Migrant Minors From Greek Camps Amid Pandemic

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is calling on governments to take in more children, as most migrant reception centers on the Greek Aegean islands remain overcrowded despite the relocation of asylum seekers from the camps to mainland Greece amid the coronavirus threat, the organization's regional director and a special coordinator for the refugee and migrant response in Europe, told Sputnik

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2020) The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is calling on governments to take in more children, as most migrant reception centers on the Greek Aegean islands remain overcrowded despite the relocation of asylum seekers from the camps to mainland Greece amid the coronavirus threat, the organization's regional director and a special coordinator for the refugee and migrant response in Europe, told Sputnik.

As part of an EU-led plan for the equitable distribution of migrant arrivals, several EU states accepted unaccompanied migrant children from Greece in April. Under the plan, EU nations have agreed to share in the relocation efforts of up to 1,600 minors. Germany, Luxembourg, France and Finland have all taken in children, but the numbers are still insignificant, according to Afshan Khan.

"Portugal has made a pledge for 500 children. They haven't moved them yet so at this point, it's just a plan to relocate the children in June. There are more than 5,000 unaccompanied children in Greece. The pledge from Europe at this stage is only for 1,600 children. And the number of children that have been moved thus far is still not significant, it's about 100 plus," Khan said.

She added that there should be more efforts to helping unaccompanied children in particular.

"This is a huge opportunity to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which we've seen in many places have happened in institutional facilities ... Really the idea is to de-concentrate populations and go back to community-based or family-based care where possible," Khan argued, adding that relocating vulnerable children was crucial due to higher risks of contracting COVID-19.

The UNICEF regional director went on to say that Europe needed to provide better living conditions in migrant reception centers, especially amid ongoing military or political crises in some countries.

"... There is a need to really improve the services that are available to refugee and migrant population and their families ... the conflict in Libya is forcing more people to try and make the crossing through the Mediterranean, which is really hazardous. And we've also seen influx into Spain from both Colombia and Venezuela as a result of problems in Venezuela. The patterns and the routes are changing from what we saw in 2016, which was largely the result of the crisis in Syria," Khan noted, adding that Spain would definitely be seeing a migrant influx from Latin America.

International organizations and rights groups have repeatedly urged the national authorities to relocate migrants and asylum seekers from overpopulated island camps.