China News Agency, Brussels, April 15 (Reporter De Yongjian) After a large number of refugees poured into Europe through Turkey at the beginning of this year, the EU officially launched the plan to resettle Greek minor refugees on the 15th. The first 12 children arrived via the Greek capital Athens Luxembourg.
According to a report by the leading European Commission, the 12 children who were placed were unaccompanied. The United Nations Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration, which assisted the European Union in launching the plan, said 12 children, including a girl and 11 boys, were between 11 and 15 years old, of which 10 were from Afghanistan and two from Syria.
Due to the New Coronary Pneumonia epidemic, the International Organization for Migration conducted a physical examination and nucleic acid test of the New Coronavirus on 12 children before departure, and the results were all negative; on the 15th, the staff of the organization flew to Luxembourg with the 12 children together with Luxembourg government officials A handover was made.
Since the end of February of this year, Turkey announced that it would no longer prevent refugees in the country from going to Europe, and a large number of refugees poured into Greece and Bulgaria, which borders Turkey. In order to alleviate the pressure of the Greek government, the EU formulated a plan to resettle Greek minor refugees in early March. So far, 11 countries including Luxembourg, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Lithuania, and Switzerland have joined. More than 1600 people.
According to the plan, the resettlement target is mainly unaccompanied minor refugees, but it can also accept children in extremely vulnerable situations accompanied by their families. The UN Refugee Agency and partners will assist the Greek government in screening to assess the protection needs of resettlement objects and the situation of family members.
The European Commission said that after the first batch of 12 children arrived in Luxembourg on the 15th, the second batch of about 50 children was ready to fly from Athens to Germany this weekend. The European Union hopes to help address the overcrowding problem of the Greek Aegean Refugee Reception Centers through the resettlement plan and provide a safe living environment for the most vulnerable minor refugees.
According to UNHCR statistics, as of early April of this year, more than 5,200 unaccompanied minor refugees in Greece urgently needed help, including rapid registration, family reunion, resettlement, etc., of which more than 1,600 people lived in Lesvos The overcrowded reception centers on the islands of Samos, Samos, Chios, etc. face serious threats such as exploitation and violence, and are in a worrying situation. (Finish)