Hundreds of people have tweeted Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the release of unaccompanied migrant and refugee children from detention in Greece, as a watchdog's campaign continued since last April.
In April, the Human Rights Watch initiated a campaign with the #FreeTheKids hashtag on social media, calling for Greek authorities to release the hundreds of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Greece and are now being locked up in police cells.
While 17-year-old Kamrul from Bangladesh was detained by Greek police for more than six weeks, 14-year-old Ibrahim from Somalia was locked up for almost three months.
Life for both kids has changed though, as they are now living in Austria and the U.K., respectively.
The same does not apply to the rest of the 274 unaccompanied migrant and refugee kids that remain behind bars.
"Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised last November to protect unaccompanied migrant children in Greece, including by creating more shelters, but six months later, that promise is looking empty," the watchdog said.
According to the report by Eva Cosse, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, 100 unaccompanied kids were behind bars amid the COVID-19 pandemic and are being held in Amygdaleza center, living in overcrowded conditions with no or limited hygiene.
Although Greece has managed to control the spread of the pandemic, it has put children at great risk by making them live under these conditions.
The kids made drawings about the fear and misery they experienced in the police cells, Cosse said.
The watchdog has published these drawings as part of their #FreeTheKids campaign to call for an end to the practice of detaining migrant children in Greece, Cosse added in the report.
