We, the undersigned organizations, jointly call on European governments to proceed immediately with the emergency relocation of unaccompanied children from the Reception and Identification Centres (RICs) on the Greek islands, with no discrimination, giving precedence to existing family links and the best interests of the child.
In mid-March, a group of seven EU member states announced they would take in unaccompanied children from the islands. Since then, while an additional country pledged to relocate, efforts have largely stalled. Yet, immediate action is all the more urgent in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.