One of the darkest aspects of the current refugee crisis in Europe was brought to light, when a Harvard University report found that “a growing epidemic of sexual exploitation and abuse of migrant children” is taking place in Greece.
According to the Harvard FXB Center for Health and Human Rights’ report Emergency Within an Emergency, many unaccompanied child refugees came to the country fleeing conflict zones (including Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan) and hoping to get to northern and western European countries. Stranded in Greece, and indebted to the people smugglers who charged them thousands of dollars to facilitate their journey, they are thus forced to sell their bodies in central Athens and other locations.
The largest group of children forced to sell sex are Afghani, Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian boys. The majority of customers are older men aged 35 and over. The phenomenon occurs in both urban and rural areas, in equally high frequency. The report found that the average price of a sexual transaction with a child is €15 (A$21.40). It also found that some of the children selling sex become addicted to drugs making it even less likely that they will be able to afford to pay smugglers and leave Greece to continue with their journeys.
Greek child protection agencies received referrals for 5,174 unaccompanied migrant children in 2016, but at the end of that year only 191 had been transferred to other European countries. Almost 50 per cent of them are still stranded awaiting relocation to specialised, child-friendly accommodation. Greek authorities have made efforts to provide for these extremely vulnerable children, but there are still many who have no access to safe facilities and are at risk of exploitation and violence. The report calls for an end to the detention of child migrants in Greece, more specialised shelters for children who have been abused, an improved legal guardianship system, better data collection relating to child refugees, independent translators and separate areas in the refugee camps for children and families.