THE PRACTICE
Prosvasis is a street work project run by ARSIS
with the support of the UNHCR which aims to
identify, register, support and protect children
among the homeless population of migrants and
asylum seekers in Northern Greece and to pre-
vent child abuse, trafficking and exploitation.
The project is implemented in Thessaloniki, the
second largest city of Greece.
I want to go to school again to make friends because
now I don’t have any. My favourite day in Greece was the
day I went to the park to play and my worst was the day
when the police arrested us and put us behind bars.”
Interview with a five-year-old boy from Pakistan living in a precarious
situation with his family
The project was developed to respond, in
particular, to the needs of families and unac-
companied and separated children who are in
an irregular situation 2 , are not registered on the
national protection system and are considered
to be at high risk of abuse and exploitation. The
majority of the children supported by the pro-
ject are unaccompanied boys between the ages
of 13 and 18, most of whom have recently arrived
in the city of Thessaloniki and are undocument-
ed. Many of the children are victims of sexual
exploitation and trafficking and were found to
be exploited in criminal activities and involved
in substance abuse. Among the families many
are undocumented or have had their claim for
international protection rejected.
The main project activities include:
• Identification, support and provision of basic
services to homeless families with young
children and unaccompanied and separated
children
• Legal advice and legal aid for families and
unaccompanied and separated children
• Referral of families and unaccompanied and
separated children in need to relevant author-
ities and organisations
The project focuses in particular on children
who are victims of violence, abuse and ex-
ploitation, offering them psychosocial support
and protection, and on unaccompanied and
separated children with delinquent or antisocial
behaviour or in conflict with the law, who are
often marginalised and are deemed at risk of
further exploitation by criminal networks.
A multi-disciplinary team of professionals
including social workers, psychologists and
lawyers provides humanitarian assistance,
information, legal aid and psychosocial support
to homeless children and in some cases, their
families.
Cases are identified through street work, which
is a key component of the project. Some cases
are also referred by other organisations and
individual members of the local community.
Following identification, children and families
receive humanitarian assistance to cover their
basic needs and are referred to the ARSIS Unit
for the Protection of Minors. Tailored services
are provided; the type of assistance delivered
varies and is based on the legal status and the
personal circumstances of individuals.
2 _ The situation of migrants can be irregular either because they do not have a valid authorisation to stay or reside, having entered the European
Union (EU) in various ways, or they become irregular as they overstay the period to which they are entitled. This vulnerable situation often
puts migrants at heightened risk of fundamental rights violations. For more, see “Fundamental Rights of Migrants in an Irregular Situation in
the European Union”, Fundamental Rights Agency, 2011,
http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/1827-FRA_2011_Migrants_in_an_irregular_situation_EN.pdf.
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