An Egyptian woman in her eighth month of pregnancy faced serious challenges after her application for international protection was rejected, leaving her without documentation to prove her legal stay in Greece. This situation prevented her from accessing crucial healthcare services, such as prenatal check-ups, as she could not present herself to public authorities or health units. While Greek law provides protection against deportation for pregnant women and ensures their access to healthcare, Equal Rights Beyond Borders stepped in to represent her, seeking the issuance of a certificate of removal postponement, which explicitly guarantees access to healthcare.

Despite this, the 2nd Police Directorate of Dodecanese rejected the application, claiming that the woman was already protected from deportation, even without the certificate. However, this decision overlooked the broader issues that arise when a vulnerable person is undocumented in a foreign country, particularly regarding access to healthcare and social services.

On October 10th, following a complaint filed by Equal Rights Beyond Borders on the woman’s behalf, the Greek Ombudsman intervened. The Ombudsman emphasized that Greek law clearly prohibits the deportation of pregnant women during pregnancy and for six months after childbirth. Furthermore, during this period, these women should not receive less protection or fewer rights than those granted to others under the law through a certificate of removal postponement.

As a result, the Ombudsman called on the Hellenic Police to clarify the steps they would take to ensure that the certificate was granted to the woman, allowing her to access the healthcare she urgently needed.