Most unaccompanied minors not housed in secure shelters

As part of its stated intention to provide protection for more than 4,700 unaccompanied migrant minors in the country, the government reportedly plans to create appropriate housing within the next few months.

According to the latest official data, Greece is hosting 4,779 unaccompanied minors, but just over 1,200 are in secure structures. The data also shows that the number of unaccompanied minors has surged in recent months, reaching its highest point since the start of the refugee crisis in 2015.

Meanwhile, the number of daily arrivals of refugees and migrants from Turkey – an average of 500 – is the second highest since the 2015 crisis. At the same time, more than 35,000 asylum seekers remain on the islands.

Despite repeated announcements by authorities since the beginning of the crisis that new shelters for minors would be created, none have materialized. Instead, the number declined under the previous administration.