Eurochild: Resolve and reform – a call to action for children of Greece
Eurochild, a child rights network, calls for a swift resolution to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Greece, allowing the country and its people to return to a path of recovery and build solid foundations for the future, starting with the reform of the child protection system in the country
The current impasse is hurting the most marginalised sections of Greek society. Child poverty has reached epidemic levels in Greece where it affects 40% of the child population; ten percentage points higher than the EU-28 average. Severe material deprivation among children in Greece has been steadily increasing, from 19% in 2008 to 40% in 2013, double that of the Eurozone average. Youth unemployment has reached 50%.
“Our Greek members, The Smile of the Child and Roots Research Centre, are reporting an unimaginable reality, especially for children in alternative care – foster carers taking care of disabled children do not have money to buy medicines or daily essentials; institutions housing children cannot function in the absence of cash; children’s weekly allowances are not guaranteed. The Troika and the Greek government must urgently identify steps to end the capital controls and define a sustainable path to recovery,” says Jana Hainsworth, Secretary General of Eurochild.
See the impact of capital controls on children from Eurochild’s interview with Mary Theodoropolou of Roots Research Centre, Greece.
The crushing austerity measures of the past five years have made a dent in the social protection net for the most vulnerable, affecting early childhood education and care, school education, medical care and social welfare for children and families in Greece. The challenges in the child protection and care system require swift action by Greece and the Troika to work together with means of emergency financial support and long-term investment in public services and structural reform.
“Success for Europe ought to be a success for the Greek people, and vice versa. A better Europe will be one that acknowledges Greece’s challenge as its own and takes responsibility for all its peoples,” concluded Ms Hainsworth.
Today, Eurochild releases a policy position paper calling for action to reform the child protection system in Greece as part of its “Opening Doors for Europe’s Children” campaign to end institutional care. The paper “Child Protection System Reform in the Hellenic Republic – A Call to Action” will be presented at European Expert Group Seminar scheduled to take place on 13 July 2015 in Athens, Greece.
