On June 23rd, the European Court of Human Rights granted interim measures for 13 unaccompanied children detained in the so-called “Safe Area” of the Closed/Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) on Leros. The decision orders Greece to urgently provide the applicants with clothing, hygiene materials, and medical care and transfer them to safe and suitable accommodation.

The Court's decision comes in response to an application filed by Equal Rights Beyond Borders on behalf of the 13 young people, who are currently held in appalling and inhumane conditions. Kept in prison-like conditions, the applicants—some of whom have been detained for nearly six months—have been subjected to severe overcrowding, roach-infested living spaces, lack of adequate food and clean water, absence of medical or psychological care, and exposure to violence and neglect.

In its decision the Court instructed the Greek government to immediately:

• Provide the children with appropriate reception conditions, including adequate food and water, new and clean clothing, bed linen, and hygiene products;
• Ensure they receive adequate medical and psychological care;
• Guarantee their speedy relocation to a shelter for unaccompanied minors or other suitable accommodation, in accordance with national procedures.

“This decision is a crucial step toward ending the unlawful and degrading treatment of unaccompanied children in Greece,” said Sofia Dede, an attorney at Equal Rights on Kos. “Detaining children in such conditions—where they are forced to sleep on the floor, share beds, and served just one meal a day—is not only a violation of their fundamental rights but also an abject failure by the State to protect its most vulnerable population.”

This is not the first time the European Court of Human Rights has intervened to protect unaccompanied children in Greece. Just in May, the Court ordered Greece to urgently transfer 45 unaccompanied children detained in similar conditions in the Samos CCAC.

“We call on the Greek authorities to immediately implement the Court’s decision and ensure that no child is ever subjected to these conditions again,” added Christina Balta, the Legal Coordinator of Equal Rights’ Kos office. “This decision should serve as a wake-up call—not only to Greece but to the European Union as a whole. Children should never be detained.”

Equal Rights Beyond Borders will continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for the rights of unaccompanied minors in Greece and across Europe.

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Contact: press@equal-rights.org