An Afghan woman is searching for their underage nephew. She said he was kept inside the camp upon registration and wasn’t allowed to leave with her and her husband and children. “I don’t know where he is and what happened to him. Can you help me find him?” Only a few minutes later a young Syrian is looking also for his 16-year-old cousin Mohammed. “They took him away inside the camp,” he says. “Why would they do that? We won’t leave him back.” The uncle is desperate.
According to Greek law only the mother and father are recognized as legal guardians. Many underage children are thus separated from their relatives upon registration. The separation will last at least as long as it takes for the minor to be transferred to an open reception facility for UAMs. This can take 2 weeks to 1 month in average.