Athens/Berlin, 20 December 2024. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled in favor of minors represented by the human rights organization Equal Rights Beyond Borders in three cases, condemning Greece for the inhuman and degrading treatment of unaccompanied minors on the move. The affected minors, represented by Equal Rights' legal team, were either detained by the police under undignified conditions, sometimes without daylight, or left homeless.
“These three rulings are an important and encouraging signal” says Robert Nestler, Director of Equal Rights Beyond Borders. “Once again, the Greek state has been convicted for systematic violations of children's rights. Just a few months ago, we won a similar case. This shows that these are not isolated incidents or political failures, but a calculated disenfranchisement of people on the move, which does not even stop at minors.” Equal Rights has been successfully advocating for the rights of refugee children for years and specializes in family reunifications.
“When one of the minors came to our office, his situation was very concerning. He was scared and neglected, had nothing proper to eat for days, and was frightened by life on the streets,” says Niki Georgiou, Legal Coordinator of the organization and representative in the current ECtHR cases. “The cases are especially dramatic when we represent children who have been taken into so-called ‘protective custody’ – dark, dirty cells, without daylight or proper care,” says Georgiou.
Robert Nestler emphasizes the importance of the new rulings, especially in light of the increasing normalization of the detention of children under the new Common European Asylum System: “Hundreds of minors are already being held in Greece under detention conditions in special camp areas. They live behind barbed wire, without educational or developmental opportunities, and are exposed to the risk of abuse. With the so-called ‘protection’ as an official reason for detention under the CEAS reform, these appalling conditions will be finally normalized.” The rulings of the European Court of Human Rights are also to be understood as a call to action, according to Nestler: “The rulings make it clear that the best interests of the child must be the top priority. Minors deserve special protection – simply because they are children, regardless of their origin.”
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Equal Rights Beyond Borders is a human rights organization that protects and defends the rights of refugees – particularly in Greece. The organization focuses on legal advice, strategic litigation, and family reunifications. Donate for family reunifications: www.wiedersehen-schenken.de Subscribe to our newsletter: www.equal-rights.org/newsletter