“It does not feel like real life”: Children’s everyday life in Greek refugee camps

In 2023, one in four applicants for international protection in Europe was a child. Greece remains a critical entry point, with over 6,400 refugee and migrant children arriving in the first half of 2024 alone—a fourfold increase compared to the same period in 2023. Most of these children, 86% under the age of 15, endured dangerous journeys fleeing conflict in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia, only to face restrictive, detention-like conditions in Greece’s refugee camps.

This report, jointly produced by the Greek Council for Refugees and Save the Children, analyses the experiences of children and their families living in ten mainland refugee camps in Greece. Based on 32 interviews with children, caregivers, and experts, it highlights systemic gaps in the protection and integration of asylum-seeking children despite existing legal frameworks. The study sheds light on the restrictive and remote camp conditions that hinder access to education, healthcare, play, and psychosocial support, leaving children vulnerable and disconnected.

The report calls for transitioning from camps to urban reception models, enhancing reception conditions, prioritising early integration, and ensuring a child-centric implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. These measures aim to provide dignified reception conditions, address immediate service gaps, and promote long-term integration for children on the move in Greece.