Minimising the risk of trafficking and exploitation
Unaccompanied and separated children are at higher risk of
exploitation and trafficking. Legal uncertainty and prolonged delays
in the identification and implementation of durable solutions
cause anxiety and distress in children and lead to the deterioration
of their well-being, mental health and development. As a result,
unaccompanied and separated children are very often not receptive
to help offered by formal structures and rely on the support of
smugglers and criminal networks to reach out to family or friends
in Europe.
By providing support and quality care, the project seeks to mini-
mise the risk of child trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
The project also promotes durable solutions and, by providing
legal aid, helps children to get refugee or subsidiary protection
and obtain a secure status in Greece or to join family members in
other European countries through family reunification procedures.
Furthermore, the project provides information sessions and
individual counselling on the risks associated with travelling using
unsafe means or smuggling networks and seeks the support of
parents to make the children aware of such risks.
Provisions for staff training
Staff members receive regular supervision in a support group
setting to address daily challenges, prevent burn out and enhance
quality and efficiently of services. In addition, the coordinator of
the house holds regular support meetings with the staff. Moreover,
continuous training is provided by SOS Children’s Villages Greece.
The training programme covers child protection and child rights
topics and addresses the specific protection needs and vulnera-
bilities of unaccompanied and separated children. It is offered in
cooperation with other organisations that work in the field and
includes seminars, workshops and individual assessment meetings.
Awareness-raising in the local community
Targeted information and awareness strategies prior to children’s
arrival are crucial to building support within the receiving commu-
nity. When the project location was selected, no actions were taken
to inform the local community, prepare it for the arrival of the
children and promote their inclusion. Nevertheless, shortly after
the project was set up, in order to overcome these challenges, SOS
Children’s Villages Greece developed awareness-raising activities
in the neighbourhood and continuously seeks to create opportuni-
ties to bring unaccompanied and separated children and the local
community together, for example by enrolling children in local
sports centres. Proactive measures were also taken to avoid conflict
with the local community and ensure support for the children. The
project uses various opportunities to support the local community
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