Council of Europe: detention of lone minors ‘unacceptable’
One of Europe’s top human rights officials says it is “unacceptable” that any unaccompanied refugee and migrant children who arrive on the continent are held in detention centers, and called on European countries to ensure such children can be housed in special facilities and quickly reunited with their families.
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland also voiced criticism Thursday over the increasingly restrictive legislation some European countries are adopting that would make it harder for such children to be reunited with parents already living in Europe.
Speaking after visiting a facility in Athens housing 24 such children, Jagland said he would appeal to European institutions, the European Commission and all 47 Council of Europe member states to help Greece finance efforts to care for unaccompanied minors.
[AP]
