ATHENS – Thirteen unaccompanied refugee and migrant children departed for Portugal on Thursday from the airport “El. Venizelos” in Athens, in the framework of the voluntary relocation programme to member states of the European Union.
They are twelve boys and one girl, who came from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Bangladesh.
According to data from the Greek migration and asylum ministry, since April 2020 when the programme began, Portugal has so far welcomed 226 unaccompanied minors. In total, 1,212 children have been relocated to 13 EU member-states.
The programme is coordinated by the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the Migration and Asylum Ministry, with the support of the European Commission and with the participation of the Asylum Service, the UN High Commission for Refugees, the International Organisation for Migration, the European Asylum Support Agency and the NGO ‘Metadrasi’.