The Human Rights Watch said in an announcement on Tuesday that a shortage of places in shelters had led to “arbitrary prolonged detention in places unfit for children”. The HRW underlined that the country must find space for them in facilities where they can receive adequate care.
The group reported that according to Greece’s National Center for Social Solidarity, about 18 children were awaiting transfer in police stations and hundreds more were in detention centers, like the one in Chios were a 16-year-old Afghan boy was stabbed.
The teenager was apparently stabbed at the island’s migrant registration center or hotspot during an argument with a fellow Afghan, aged 18, at the Vial camp. The two migrants are believed to have got into an argument about soccer.
The 16-year-old was taken to the hospital in Chios on Tuesday. The 18-year-old also needed hospital treatment as he was attacked by other migrants following the stabbing.
Greece has been the main entry point for hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants heading to Europe. Under a European Union-Turkey deal on migration, those arriving on Greek islands from the Turkish coast since March are held and may face being returned to Turkey.