Category: ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ

GEOGRAPHICAL RESTRICTION OF ASYLUM SEEKERS ON THE GREEK ISLANDS: WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THE RECENT GREEK COUNCIL OF STATE’S DECISION?

Posted on Thursday April 19th, 2018
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

Athens, April 19, 2018

SolidarityNow welcomes Ruling No 805/2018 of the Greek Council of State (the country’s Supreme Administrative Court) (“the Ruling”), which annuls the Asylum Service’s Decision (No 10464/31.5.2016) imposing geographical restrictions on six islands of the Eastern Aegean Sea (Lesvos, Samos, Chios, Leros, Rhodes and Kos). The case was brought forward by the Greek Council for Refugees.

The Ruling lifted the geographical restrictions on asylum seekers arriving to the islands from now onwards, given that the contested Asylum Service Decision did not set out the legal grounds for imposing such restrictions on asylum seekers’ freedom of movement and their confinement in Reception and Identification Centers (hotspots) on the islands (the so-called “containment policy”). In addition, the Ruling highlighted that the regime of geographical restriction within the aforementioned islands has resulted in unequal distribution of asylum seekers across the national territory, over-burdening and exercising significant pressure on specific regions.

Insofar there are no imperative reasons of public interest and migration policy that would justify restricting applicants of international protection to the Greek islands, the Court decided to annul the administrative decision imposing such restrictions and ordered the free movement of asylum seekers arriving to the islands following the Ruling’s publication. The Ruling, however, does not have retroactive effect, i.e., the geographical restriction will continue to apply to over 13.000 asylum seekers currently residing on the islands.

SolidarityNow greets the Ruling as a victory for human rights and asylum law in Greece, in line with our organization’s continuous pressure against the containment policy – through joined letters to the authorities (see here and here) and the #OpenTheIslands campaign, supported by many organizations during 2017.

However, we express our concerns regarding the implementation of the Ruling by the Greek Government and competent authorities:

  • Firstly, the Ruling has no retroactive effect, which results in unequal treatment between asylum seekers already restricted on the islands, on one hand, and those who come after the Ruling and can freely move. Such discrimination could be explained by the difficulty around the immediate decongestion of the islands and the need to organize proper accommodation in the mainland. This could be resolved only by a Government decision providing for a timely and gradual decongestion of the islands, as part of a well-organized, nation-wide plan.
  • Secondly, the Ministry of Migration Policy (“MoMP”) seems to be planning the imposition of geographical restrictions anew, on the basis of a law transposing EU Directive 2013/33. The draft law is already submitted to the Greek Parliament for voting (see the MoMP’s announcement in response to the Ruling).

Thus, we are keen to see how the Ruling will be implemented, anticipating the free movement of newly admitted asylum seekers on the Greek islands until the draft law is adopted, and geographical restrictions are potentially re-imposed by an executive decision of the Greek administration.

SolidarityNow strongly opposes the creation of a “multi-speed” asylum system, which randomly favors certain asylum seekers while violating the rights of others and transforming the Greek islands to “buffer zones”. We insist on the need to lift geographic restrictions altogether, along with the adoption of a strategic, long-term plan – at both national and European level – for an equal and fair distribution of refugees and asylum seekers throughout the Greek and EU territories, in accordance with the principles of refugee law and with respect for human rights.

The Yazidi’s Bread and Noufa’s Story: SolidarityNow presents the new video-documentary for Yazidis women who live at the Volvi Accommodation Scheme

Posted on Wednesday April 18th, 2018
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

Thessaloniki, April 18th, 2018

Noufa, 35-years-old, is one of the Yadizis women who live at the *Volvi Accommodation Scheme. As many Yazidis women, she waits to be reunited with her son in Germany. Noufa wears a bracelet -a good lucky charm, made of red and white threads, which are similar to our “Martis” bracelets. Noufa has been living in Volvi along with her family since last February.

SolidarityNow collaborates with the photojournalist Giorgos Moutafis and documents the culture, the customs and the traditions of this unique ethnic team. Along with them we learn the process of making and baking their traditional bread, known as nan (bread in Kurmanji).

Yazidis are a Kurdish ethnic-religious minority, approximately 700,000 worldwide, with the largest number living in northern Iraq. Yazidis have managed to maintain national cohesion and solidarity despite persistent persecutions, the more than 70 genocides and the long-term oppression suffered by different regimes. Since 2014, they have been systematically persecuted by ISIS and various extremist groups. Still, they have managed to maintain their faith and culture, suffering, of course, the consequences.

In this short video presented by SolidarityNow, Noufa invites us to a travel back in time. Noufa remembers her life in Iraq, when her mother taught her for the first time how to make bread. She remembers Iraq’s soil, which is the best for making their traditional ovens, known as ‘tandour’. And then we return to the present, to Volvi, where the Yazidis men constructed the ovens and the Yazidis women meet there to chat and bake the family’s bread.

Noufa laughs, cries, looks back to time, thinks about the future and her son, whom she is going to meet in Germany. Through her story is unfolding the story of her people, their fears, their distresses, but also their hopes.

Since May 2017, SolidarityNow is supporting Noufa and the whole Yazidis community at Volvi Accommodation Scheme through the Child and Family Support Hubs program**. Through this program, more than 4.400 children, women and other vulnerable groups have found a safe space in various sites all over Greece.

* The organization of Iliaktida is managing the Volvi Accommodation Scheme along with UNHCR’s support, through IATAP.

** The Child and Family Support Hubs program is implemented by SolidarityNow, supported by UNICEF and funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations /ECHO.

The exhibition “The Journey: People on the Move” now in Glasgow

Posted on Wednesday April 4th, 2018
SolidarityNow

The Journey: People on the Move is an exhibition originally held in 2016 at Benaki Museum in Athens, organized by SolidarityNow, a Greek NGO aiming to support those most affected by the economic and humanitarian crisis in Greece.

Population movements constitute a timeless, inevitable reality that surpasses the rigid framework established by national borders.

Currently, threatening conditions in the wider Middle East have led to an exodus towards the European continent. Immigrants, refugees- regular and irregular, are the protagonists of this risky journey, claiming their fundamental right to survival, and ideally, to happiness.

Eight renowned photographers/photojournalists from Greece captured the Journey, the route all these people took in the past year as they had to flee their countries. The images trace their journey from Turkey to Greece, with the borders as their final destination, hoping to reach a safe haven in Europe. The photographers participating in the exhibition are: Yannis Behrakis, Alkis Konstantinidis, Giorgos Moutafis, Angelos Georginis, Enri Canaj, Myrto Papadopoulos, Orestis Seferoglou, Chloe Kritharas- Devienne.

These visual testimonies of international photographers aim to familiarize a larger public with this harsh reality confronted every day by thousands of people seeking to reclaim their right to a life with security for themselves and their families.

The Arrival: Young Syrian Refugees in Britain presents original research findings and the most comprehensive analysis of the realities, opportunities, and challenges forcibly displaced people face as they attempt to rebuild their lives.  The project is run by an interdisciplinary team from the University of Glasgow, in cooperation with SolidarityNow(GR), Educart (LB) and the Scottish Refugee Council (UK).

Its aim is to improve knowledge and understanding of the lived experiences, skills, training needs and labour aspirations of forcibly displaced young Syrians and the corresponding attitudes and belief structures of the host population in three receiving states: a neighbouring host state (Lebanon), the main entry point to Europe (Greece), and a north European destination state (the United Kingdom).

This exhibition reveals, for the first time, the results of a face-to-face survey conducted with 500 young Syrians (18-32 years old) in each of these countries. Visitors will have the chance to engage in an interactive way with the findings, enriching their understanding of refugee politics in Britain, in a comparative context.

The Exhibition is funded by the UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund (Award Reference: ES/P005189/1). For further details, please see www.RefugeePolitics.net

Watch the making-of video

The Yazidis of Volvi Or Barfi’s Lament

Posted on Tuesday April 3rd, 2018
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

SolidarityNow presents the new short film video for Yazidis women

who live in the Volvi Accommodation Scheme

Barfi is a 65-year-old woman and is the eldest woman in the small community of Volvi; currently, Volvi is the area where 200 Yazidis live. Everyone respects her. She always wears white clothes, the traditional costume of her people. Barfi is a Yazidis, from the village of Sinjar in Iraq. For the last 1.5 years, she has been living in the Volvi Accommodation Scheme along with her family.

SolidarityNow collaborates with the photojournalist Giorgos Moutafis and documents the story of Yazidis; the persecutions and tortures that have historically been through over the years, the longing for their lost home, and their relentless hope of returning someday back to their lost paradise – when all these have come to an end.

Yazidis are a Kurdish ethnic-religious minority, approximately 700,000 worldwide, with the largest number living in northern Iraq. Yazidis have managed to maintain national cohesion and solidarity despite persistent persecutions, the more than 70 genocides and the long-term oppression suffered by different regimes. Since 2014 they have been systematically persecuted by ISIS and various extremist groups. Still, they have managed to maintain their faith and culture, suffering, of course, the consequences.

In this short video presented by SolidarityNow, Barfi becomes the voice of Yazidis; her voice is the means that narrates the sorrows; not only her personal sorrow but the ones of her people. And she does that in a heart-breaking way. It is the voice of a mother who carries the memories of a place where her children grew up and no longer exists.

 Barfi sings a song in her mother tongue. Her song is not an ordinary one. It’s an improvised lament. Her words evoke her memories and her pain. This song is dedicated to her people and her lost homeland.

“Our Sinjar was a star in the seventh sky

and a storm destroyed it.

ISIS kidnapped our women, burned our children and hung their heads on the doors.

Young children were left alone without protection.

Our men went to fight, leaving us alone.

Why they don’t leave us to live in peace to regain happiness.

I stand in front of this place.

I look at the people who take care of their children, sitting in front of the fire and weep nostalgically for Sinjar.

I cannot rest and sleep until dawn.

I am seating on a rock, waiting to see Sinjar again.”

Since May 2017, SolidarityNow is supporting Barfi and the whole Yazidis community at Volvi Accommodation Scheme through the Blue Dots program**. Through this program, more than 4.400 children, women and other vulnerable groups have found a safe space on various sites all over Greece.

  • Watch the video here and listen to Barfi, the 65-year-old Yazidi from Sinjar, Iraq, singing a lament for the lost homeland.

*The organization Iliaktida is managing the Volvi Accommodation Scheme along with UNHCR’s support, through IATAP.

 **The Blue Dots Program is implemented by SolidarityNow, supported by UNICEF and funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations /ECHO.

Mrs Antigone Lyberaki, the new General Manager of SolidarityNow

Posted on Wednesday March 28th, 2018

“I feel responsible to continue and expand the significant humanitarian work achieved by SolidarityNow“

Mrs Antigone Lyberaki assumes responsibility as the new General Manager of SolidarityNow, following a unanimous decision of the organization’s Board of Directors which was held on March 23rd, 2018. Her main objective in this new role is to press ahead and expand the organization’s multifaceted work and activities in the humanitarian field.

“On behalf of our Board of Directors, I warmly welcome Antigone Lyberaki as the new General Manager of SolidarityNow. Mrs Lyberaki, who has been a member of the organization’s BoD since its establishment, has provided a significant input in the design and implementation of the strategic plan, which has led to the substantial work that has been achieved so far to support our most vulnerable fellow citizens”, notes Stelios Zavvos, President of SolidarityNow. “Antigone Lyberaki is a distinguished Professor of Economics and an active member of Civil Society, with experience working with international humanitarian organizations. Her experience and knowledge assure us that she will make a strong contribution to SolidarityNow to continue serving the vision of an open and democratic society based on solidarity in action. We wish her every success in her new duties”.

“I undertake this new position with great pleasure and at the same time with a great sense of responsibility”, says Antigone Lyberaki and continues: “Pleasure, because I work daily with remarkable teams in the field and at the headquarters to jointly design programs so as to offer even more valuable support to all those in need. At the same time, I feel the responsibility to continue and expand the very important work that SolidarityNow has achieved in its five years of activity in Greece”.

And underlines: “Our goal is to meet the current challenges with the smooth inclusion of refugees and vulnerable individuals into our society through enabling their access to education and the labour market. Our current and long-term objective is to offer support to even more vulnerable population groups because our mission is: to empower them to take their lives in their hands, as they have dreamt of”.

Antigone Lyberaki has been Acting General Manager of SolidarityNow since October 2017. She is also a Professor of Economics at Panteion University with a PhD in Small and Medium Enterprises and an M.Phil in Development Studies from Sussex University. She was a Member of the Greek Parliament in 2015.

Her current research interests are small and medium enterprises, migration, ageing societies and gender/feminist economics. She is the Greek country team leader for the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), while for years she was an activist and member of the ActionAid Hellas Board of Directors, with a special interest in Africa.

The Board of Directors of SolidarityNow consists of:

Stelios Zavvos – Chairman

Alivizatos Nikos – Honorary Professor of Constitutional Law/University of Athens, Vidalis Euthimios -Businessman, Diamandouros Nikiforos – Honorary Professor of Political Science/University of Athens,  Doxiadis Aristos – Partner/Venture Capital Investor, Kavounidi Jenny – Senior Research Fellow, Center of Planning and Economic Research, Visiting Associate Professor/Athens University of Economics and Business, Matsagganis Manos – Associate Professor in the Department of International and European Economic Studies/Athens University of Economics and Business, Nomikou Kalipso – Businesswoman, Christos Rozakis – Professor of International Public Law/University of Athens, Vice President of the European Court of Human Rights, Triantafyllidou Anna – Professor/European University Institute, Florence, Italy.

Joint Press Conference: Two years after the EU-Turkey Deal

Posted on Wednesday March 21st, 2018

To mark the occasion of the second anniversary of the EU-Turkey Joint Statement (Deal, in essence), yesterday we held, along with other NGOs, a joint press conference titled: “Two years after the EU-Turkey Deal: a humanitarian tragedy for refugees and asylum seekers”.

The press conference was hosted at the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ΕΣΗΕΑ). Participants included journalists, as well as representatives of EU embassies, state institutions, and civil society organizations. The conference speakers covered the main aspects of the refugee issue from a humanitarian, legal, and political perspective.

Jenny Cavounidis, Board member of SolidarityNow, underlined the absence of a coherent strategy for a coordinated and holistic refugee response at both national and European level. Ms. Cavounidis conveyed the experience of SolidarityNow about the problems brought upon by the EU-Turkey Deal and its ongoing consequences on the overall management of the refugee response in Greece.

Ms. Cavounidis underlined “the urgent need for a holistic response to the problems arising from the refugee issue, with a central, visionary, and long-term planning for the whole country”. She also stressed:

“This past winter we experienced once more the lack of a central mechanism for refugee management on the islands. Despite the deplorable conditions in the islands’ camps since the summer, and although the number of residents way exceeded each camp’s capacity, the decongestion of the islands started to take place only when the situation hit rock bottom due to the worsening weather conditions. Then, in November, the Government rushed to transfer people to the mainland, to hosting facilities that were urgently created or adjusted, without proper planning”.

The Director of Amnesty International/Greek section, Gabriel Sakellaridis, and Eva Cossé, Researcher for Greece for the organization Human Rights Watch, analyzed the current situation on the islands for the asylum seekers and refugees stranded there two years after the Deal, stressing the need to lift the geographical restriction.

From a medical care perspective, Agapios Terzidis, Vice-President of the Board of the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO), presented the program Philos (Emergency Health Response to Refugee Crisis) and the challenges faced by KEELPNO during its implementation.

Vasileios Papadopoulos, Coordinator of the Legal Unit of the Greek Council for Refugees, set out the legal effects of the EU-Turkey Deal. Mr. Papadopoulos emphasized the need to move refugees and migrants from the islands to the mainland, while he also explained that the presumption that Turkey is a safe third country is highly problematic, both from a legal and political perspective.

Yonous Muhammadi, President and Coordinator of the Greek Forum of Refugees, and the cultural mediator Yasaman Heidarpour from the organization Melissa Network, talked about the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees on the Greek islands. In particular, Ms. Heidarpour told her own story as a refugee who reached Europe after fleeing Iran.

*The conference was organized by the following NGOs:

SolidarityNow

Amnesty International – Greek section

Greek Council for Refugees

Greek Forum of Refugees

Melissa Network

Human Rights Watch

Two years after the EU-Turkey Deal: a humanitarian tragedy for refugees and asylum seekers

Posted on Friday March 16th, 2018
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

Athens, 16 March 2018. Two years following the implementation of the EU-Turkey Deal, many refugees and asylum seekers continue to be trapped in the Greek islands, deprived of their basic human rights and access to international protection.

On this second anniversary, and whilst legal appeals against the geographical limitation of asylum-seekers to the islands are still pending, we continue to stress that the regime of reception and asylum at the EU borders has been brought to a dramatic standstill from every perspective:

  • Humanitarian, as thousands of people are still trapped in island hotspots, living in a state of constant insecurity about their future, whilst lacking access to basic services.
  • Legal, with border asylum procedures taking place, on many occasions, without the minimum procedural safeguards for effective access to asylum, while thousands of people are deprived of their liberty and detention remains a widespread practice in migration management.
  • Political, with EU governments continuing to present the EU-Turkey Deal as a success, without admitting that refugees and asylum seekers are forced to live under deplorable conditions on the islands, often leading to tensions between the refugee population and local communities.

For the past two years, our organizations have been repeatedly stating that the EU-Turkey Deal is undermining human rights and Europe’s very fundamental principles. We insist that the only way to properly receive displaced people is by adhering to our common European values and complying with our international protection obligations, i.e. respect the principle of non-refoulement, provide dignified reception and accommodation to asylum seekers, and ensure the right of everyone to seek asylum without discrimination. In practice, however, the EU asylum and migration policy is governed by a logic of deterrence and border securitization, at the expense of human rights protection and humanitarian values.

On the occasion of the EU-Turkey Deal’s second anniversary, we invite you at the Press Conference we are holding on 20 March 2018, in Athens. The event will be conducted in Greek, with simultaneous translation in English.

Interventions will be made by:

Amnesty International, Gabriel Sakellaridis, Director

Greek Council for Refugees, Vasileios Papadopoulos, Legal Unit Coordinator

SolidarityNow, Jenny Kavounidis, Board of Directors

Greek Forum of Refugees, Yonous Muhammadi, President & Coordinator

Melissa Network, Yasaman Heidarpour, Cultural Mediator for Farsi speakers

Human Rights Watch, Eva Cossé, Researcher for Greece

KEELPNO, Agis Terzidis, Pediatrician, Board Member

Moderator of the Press Conference: Ioannis Papadopoulos, journalist

 The Press Conference will be held at 12:30, at ESIEA (Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers) – 20, Akadimias str. (1st floor), Athens


The Press Conference is organized by:

SolidarityNow
Amnesty International
Greek Council for Refugees
Greek Forum of Refugees
Melissa Network
CEAR

 

Access to Justice is an Absolute Human Right for All

Posted on Thursday March 1st, 2018
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

3,801 people received legal assistance through the SolidarityNow Solidarity Centers

Access to justice, the equality of all before the law, the exercise of the right to court representation and the right to trial are four of the basic human rights* which SolidarityNow defends as self-evident for every person -regardless of nationality, gender, religion, political beliefs.

“Access to justice is the minimum denominator of citizens’ rights reinforcement and demonstrates the proper functioning of a democracy. It is a proof and at the same time the foundation for the proper functioning of a democracy”, states Antigone Lyberaki, General Director at SolidarityNow.

SolidarityNow since the establishment of its Solidarity Centers operating in Athens and Thessaloniki has incorporated legal assistance as an elementary service provided pro bono to anyone who requests it. Groups of experienced lawyers in both refugee and civil, penal and administrative law support all those who need legal assistance by providing a wide range of services – from issuing legal documents, representation in services (especially for asylum seekers) to court representation. The various legal services provided aim to respond to both the large number of cases received by the organization and the complexity of each case separately.

The level of complexity of the cases dealt with is captured by the ratio of those cases that demand court representation.

During 2017, 7.44% of the Athens Solidarity Center legal service beneficiaries’ cases required court representation while the equivalent for the Blue Refugee Center is 9.88%, while for the Thessaloniki Solidarity Center is 14.53%. The above percentages indicate that 1 out of 10 among the 3,801 Solidarity Centers’ legal services beneficiaries brought a case that required court representation to be resolved.

The paradigm of the Athens Solidarity Center

In 2017, the Athens Solidarity Center assisted a total of 1,526 beneficiaries and its legal team undertook a significant role in addressing the legal assistance needs of asylum seekers in Athens:

  • 130 of the 236 family reunification cases were successful for the families
  • 55 of the 112 cases of court representation had a positive outcome for the beneficiaries

The next step: securing resources to meet the needs of even more

Building upon the effective initiatives to date, including: hosting of an Asylum Service office at the Athens Solidarity Center, supporting the operation of four more regional Asylum Offices and providing 13 grants to other Civil Society organizations which provide legal support to those who need it, SolidarityNow targets in the future to:

– Ensure that additional financial and human resources are put in service of the people to meet the increased, unmet needs of the population.

– Reinforce the right to access free legal advice to Greek citizens who lack sufficient resources, as well as to other vulnerable individuals including refugees and asylum seekers.

– Facilitate training to judges and other public officers in human rights and asylum law, including the ever-evolving standards and case law of the European Court of Human Rights.

Read more on the SNapshot entitled “Access to Justice” which is based on a survey of people who received legal support from the organization: https://www.solidaritynow.org/en/ekdoseis/.

 

* Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), United Nations (1948)

BUSINESS FOR YOUth: SOLIDARITYNOW YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

Posted on Wednesday February 28th, 2018

Click to read the announcement in FRENCH

Click to read the announcement in ARABIC

Click to read the announcement in FARSI

Are you between 18 to 35 years old?

Do you want to make your business dream come true? Are you interested in becoming a freelancer in Greece?

You have the will, you have the idea, but you feel that you do not have the proper tools to start?

SolidarityNow, with the support of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and in collaboration with the Social Enterprise Knowl, is organizing a 40-hour free Υouth Εntrepreneurship training program in Athens.

In this integrated program, you will acquire knowledge and develop skills that are necessary to make your first steps as a professional. You will learn the basic principles of entrepreneurship and the method that will help you build a successful brand.

And what’s the best?

Forty (40) out of the total of participants who will successfully complete the program will attend a special mentorship program in which they will receive counseling and guidance from entrepreneurs and professional mentors!

Why are you still waiting?

Read the detailed program information and fill in your application at the online form below!

One of the 330 positions of the program is yours.

Because business (is) for YOUth!

CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION

  • Participants for the duration of the program have to be based in Athens.
  • Young people aged between 18-30 years
  • Refugees or Asylum Seekers legally residing in Greece, benefiting from the International Protection in Greece, immigrants with a residence permit for Greece, unemployed Greeks.
  • Adequacy in at least one of the languages offered: Greek, English, Arabic, Farsi or French.

SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS

  • The final pool of participants will be selected through personal interviews.
  • Maximum number of participants: 330

DURATION

The training will be implemented in fifteen separate cycles, comprised of 40 hours of training (over 4 weeks).

The days and hours of the lessons will be announced shortly to the participants.

COST

Participation is free of charge for all participants.

CERTIFICATION

All participants who manage to successfully complete the training will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

For your application to participate in the training program, click the link below and

fill out the form:

Application form to participate in the training program

Business for Youth

For any further information: youth@solidaritynow.org

This project is supported by the Citi Foundation in partnership with the International Rescue Committee.

In collaboration with

Comprehensive service provision through Blue Dot approach in regions of mainland Greece

Posted on Wednesday February 14th, 2018
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us” * 

The Blue Dots is the image of our world, as envisioned by SolidarityNow

“For us, every child is unique and special. Each one has its own story, personality and future. If we manage to support them, we are proud of our work. We do not believe in heroes; we believe in the power born when people meet and interact honestly“; that is the view of Thodoris and Eleni for their work at the Blue Dots Unit operated by SolidarityNow.

Defending the rights of vulnerable groups

SolidarityNow, with the support of UNICEF and funding by ECHO, implemented (reporting period: August 2016 – October 2017) the 1st phase of the innovative Blue Dots program on a national scale, as part of the ongoing efforts to protect the most vulnerable refugee and migrant groups. One of SolidarityNow’s priorities was and remains the protection of human rights at all levels, with emphasis on the groups facing greater risks, such as children.

The special support Centers –known as Blue Dots- for children, women and families were rolled out by SolidarityNow, in 12 points across Greece to provide vital services and counselling. However, the teams’ composition and deployment remained flexible in order to respond to the needs of families and children on the move, through a holistic approach; finally, the services were provided in 20 different sites in four regions –Attica, Epirus, Central Greece, Northern Greece- both through the fixed and mobile teams.

 The Blue Dots program exceeded its objectives:

  • 4,409 refugees and migrant children received supporting services (including psychosocial and legal support)
  • 10 mother and baby corners (MBC) were established
  • 416 mothers/caregivers benefited from infant and young child feeding counselling
  • 84 frontline aid and service providers were trained on child protection

Children and families at risk identified and referred to specialized services with a focus on unaccompanied children, persons with disability and/or illness, cases of suspected trafficking, (sexual) gender-based violence survivors, single mothers:

  • 1,138 referrals of individuals with health needs (physical injuries, sickness) to health providers
  • 507 children referred to formal or informal education
  • 388 unaccompanied children and/or vulnerable adults referred to accommodation services
  • 977 referrals of individuals in need of additional legal support

“I want to send a special message to my people, I want to tell them that they must exercise and never give up!” says Fatima, after her participation in the 6th International Thessaloniki Half Night Marathon where she crossed the line with a net time of 00:13:56. The 16-year-old girl from Afghanistan has been supported through the Child Friendly Space-Teenagers corner of the Blue Dot operated in the organization’s Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki.

The Child & Family Care Centers, Blue Dots, target education

 The 2nd phase of the Blue Dots project (November 2017 – May 2018) extends the operational role of the hubs created for children and their families by continuing with strengthened child protection and gender-based violence services and also introducing non-formal education activities in selected sites. The new intervention’s objective is to ensure refugee and migrant children and families access a holistic package of both protection and education services in campsites and urban settings, with a focus on increased protection, well-being and social integration.   

 The 1st phase of the Blue Dots program was implemented by SolidarityNow, supported by UNICEF and funded by the European Commission – Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations – ECHO.

 * Carl Sagan, scientist, 1934-1996