The conference was successfully held with the aim of finding collaborative solutions to the issue of human trafficking between Greece and Bulgaria.

The conference was organized on March 14 in Athens by the administrators of the Active Citizens Fund program in Greece – SolidarityNow, Bodossaki Foundation – and in Bulgaria – Open Society Institute Sofia, Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation and Trust for Social Achievement. The participants included representatives from the Council of Europe, the Academic Area, Embassies, institutional bodies, and international, European and local civil society bodies, which are actively involved in issues related to trafficking in human beings, migration and the protection of human rights.

Why Greece and Bulgaria?

Bulgaria is mainly a country of origin of human trafficking victims, while Greece is a transit or destination country.  According to data from the National Referral Mechanism for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings in Greece for 2020, out of the 167 victims registered, 74 were children and 33 of them originating from Bulgaria.

During the conference, the need for transnational cooperation was emphasized, among others, by the Vice-President of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), Ms. Antoaneta Vassileva and the Special Secretary for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors and former Head of the Office of the National Rapporteur on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Mr. Heracles Moskoff, who honored the conference with their presence.

Ms. Vassileva stressed that “The governments of both countries should secure the funding for the implementation of actions against human trafficking. In addition, the use of the national referral mechanism is considered necessary and, equally important is the continuous education and training in the identification of potential victims by the professionals involved, police officers, lawyers, social workers, psychologists. Human trafficking is actual an invisible crime, which today in the digital environment is becoming even more invisible. Protecting victims is a collective duty and should be at the top of the agenda.”

During his speech, Mr. Moskoff underlined: “Human trafficking knows no borders and national laws. The goal of the slave traders is profit and their product is humans. To prevent all those who exploit human dignity, we need to overcome conventional perceptions and build a multidisciplinary cooperation between the state, international organizations and civil society in terms of Preventing the phenomenon, Suppressing crime and Protecting victims with a more inclusive and victim-centered approach. Respectively, and aiming at prevention, we operate the National Emergency Response Mechanism for the early identification and immediate accommodation of unaccompanied minors living in precarious conditions or homelessness. To date, more than 3,258 children have benefited from the mechanism.”

The three critical aspects

The conference program included three panel discussions with more than 20 prominent speakers, who focused on the three critical aspects of the issue: the protection of victims through the analysis of existing protection systems and the application of victim-centered approaches; the exchange of best practices to prevent and reduce trafficking in human beings and the identification of the obstacles depriving victims’ of accessing justice.

The discussions and the productive exchange of views between the speakers and the participants underscored that, due to their vulnerable status, migrants/refugees are potential victims, while special reference was made to e-trafficking as the new way of approaching potential victims. A common ground was the need for prevention through information, education and awareness-raising of all stakeholders, including both institutional bodies and services, but also all the dynamic parts of societies and citizens.

Worldwide, according to the International Labor Organization, 40.3 million people are victims of trafficking, 75% of them are women and girls, and 1 in 4 are children.

*The conference is a regional action of the Active citizens fund program, fund operated in Greece by Bodossaki Foundation in consortium with SolidarityNow.

The Active citizens fund in Greece is supported through a € 13.5 m grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as part of the EEA Grants 2014 – 2021. The programme aims to develop the sustainability and capacity of the civil society sector in Greece, and to strengthen its role in promoting and safeguarding democratic procedures, active citizenship, and human rights. The Fund Operator for the Active citizens fund in Greece is Bodossaki Foundation in consortium with SolidarityNow.

“Building Futures, Sharing Good Practices: Migrant Children’s Transition to Adulthood”

The Transnational Workshops for the Unaccompanied Minors by SolidarityNow & The Special Secretariat for the Protection of the Unaccompanied Minors are completed

Two Transnational Workshops were implemented on January 30 and 31^st , in Athens, the first by the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors (SSPUAM) of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, through the Integration and Support Unit, and the second by SolidarityNow, partners of the project “Building Futures, Sharing good practices: Migrant Children’s Transition to Adulthood (UACFutures)”.

The workshops were honored with the presence of representatives of the Council of Europe, including Mr. Christos Giakoumopoulos, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the academic field, as well as representatives of international and local organizations that are active in human rights and child protection issues.

The workshops strengthened the fruitful exchange of views and good practices, to promote long-term improvements in the quality of support of unaccompanied minors during their transition to adulthood at the European level, through the experiences and examples of Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Serbia, Cyprus, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Austria, and Luxembourg.

During the workshops, key topics included vocational training and access to labor, the safeguarding of fundamental rights as well as general mental health issues of the unaccompanied children who turn 18. An additional topic was dedicated to the Institution of the Commission by the Institutional Protection Unit of the SSPUAM. A representative of the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) made a presentation on this topic focusing on the developments of guardianship systems in EU countries since 2014. Representatives of the partner organization Stitching NIDOS from the Netherlands presented the guardianship and foster care system in their country.

Discussions highlighted the importance of taking more initiatives for the care of children coming of age in Europe and the need to extend the protection framework after the 18-year-old milestone to make the transition to working life and independent living, smoother.

In the context of the event, the Special Secretary for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, Mr. Heracles Moskoff, in his speech underlined “It is a top priority for us to ensure the continuation of support, services, and rights for unaccompanied children entering adulthood. But the most important thing is to create opportunities in education and the labor market, so that unaccompanied minors as young adults enjoy their rights equally.”

The Deputy Head of Division and Secretary to the Council of Europe, Mrs. Lilja Grétarsdóttir stressed that “Based on international and European treaties specific fundamental rights are linked to the right to life and dignity and should be enjoyed by all people who are under the jurisdiction of the Member States of the Council of Europe, irrespective of nationality and legal status.”

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of SolidarityNow, Mr. Stelios Zavvos stated among others: “To date, we have supported with housing, protection, and legal services more than 800 unaccompanied children and we are present to contribute to the provision of the necessary services and supplies to children who grow up in our country, embracing their dream of a better life in Europe”.

*The project is coordinated by the Council of Europe and includes five partners, (Convive – Fundación Cepaim), the Netherlands (NIDOS, the national guardianship institution), the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors and SolidarityNow in Greece, and it is funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and the Council of Europe.

This press release was funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Council of Europe.

The content of this press release represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission and the Council of Europe do not accept any responsibility for the use that may be made of the information it contains.

Breakfast briefing titled: “Migrant Children’s Transition to Adulthood”

SolidarityNow organized today, within the framework of the annual Athens Democracy Forum, a discussion on the topic of unaccompanied children becoming 18 years old in Greece and the challenges they face deprived of any previous supporting framework.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of SolidarityNow, Mr. Stelios Zavvos welcomed the participants stating: “It is important to strengthen democracy, especially in today’s geopolitical situation, with the continuous crises including the climate one, notably in a Europe plagued by populism and the aging of population. We speak for and experience democracy when we take care of everyone, let alone young people, the most active part of the population, which with its dynamic and diversity can push all sectors of our society forward”.

Afterwards, the Special Secretary for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, Mr. Heraclus Moskoff, spoke about the work of the Special Secretariat and its impact on the lives of unaccompanied children living in the country, recognizing the importance of substantial support for unaccompanied children coming of age. “To date, the Secretariat has supported the relocation of 1,271 children in 13 European countries. The main priority of the SSPUAM is the integration of the children who remain in our country, offering them opportunities for education and employment”.

The Head of the Unit for Integration and Support of UAMs of the Special Secretariat, Ms. Gelly Aroni, emphasized on the importance of education, the exchange of good practices, and the participation of the children themselves in the decisions that concern them while underlining that: “Today, we are working on integration practices of the children but essentially what we need to do is to draw up a policy”.

The discussion was honored by the presence of the internationally renowned economist, academic and political analyst, Jeffrey Sachs. In his presentation, Mr. Sachs referred to the global challenges and their consequences on migration, to the imperative need to plan policies, while criticizing the West and especially his birthplace and global superpower America, for its stance on current geopolitical issues with reference to the war in Syria and Russia from 2008 onwards.

In addition, the academic Ms. Jennifer Cavounidis, a member of the Board of SolidarityNow, emphasized the importance of education for integration, stating that: “24% of students attending Greek schools are first or second-generation migrants. We need to support them for their well-being and development, but also for the society”. Marilyn Polena, General Manager of SolidarityNow, summarized the work of the organization for unaccompanied children and the need for further support, especially in the first years of adulthood, with the aim not allowing marginalization to be an option for any child.

The conclusions from the discussion highlighted the gap that arises in the care of unaccompanied children once they turn 18 and the need for further initiatives. It was particularly pointed out that investing in the future needs to be done on children’s potential and not on their vulnerability. The aim is to bring out the children’s talents, through the provision of opportunities for education and skill development, to create a two-way benefit relationship- both for the young people and the society in their new country.

In the context of the meeting, a short video-testimony of an 18-year-old from Gambia was presented, through which the difficulties, anxiety, and impasse experienced by children when they turn 18 were expressed. The issue of the transition of unaccompanied children to adulthood is also addressed by a short film entitled “I Woke Up 18” directed by Vera-Iona Papadopoulou and produced by SolidarityNow which will be shown for the first time tomorrow September 30^th at 17:00 at the Danaos cinema, as part of the Athens International Film Festival.