Greece’s emergency response migrant program receives award
Newswire
Athens: Greece’s National Emergency Response Mechanism (NERM) program, established two years ago in collaboration with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), has received an award of ‘best practice’ for its contribution to rescuing young migrants from organized crime.
Greece has earned recognition for its National Emergency Response Mechanism (NERM) program, a collaborative effort with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that is said to have successfully rescued more than 4,000 young migrant children from organized crime.
NERM, initiated two years ago, is dedicated to identifying and promptly placing homeless unaccompanied children or those living in precarious conditions in emergency accommodation facilities.
Its work was recognized for helping to save thousands of lives since its inception.
The initiative, launched by the General Secretariat of Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum, received a “best practice” award from Interreg’s Europe 2021-2027 program. This is the second European award the program won, after the European Crime Prevention Award last year.
At Interreg, experts from the Interreg Europe Policy Learning platform highlight initiatives that inspire innovative know-how transfer actions within the framework of EU co-financed interregional cooperation programs.
The primary objective is to assist regional and national authorities in formulating effective policies.
The integrated approach of NERM, bringing together various sectors, ensures coordinated cooperation, addressing the specificities of governance and financing of service delivery in each sector.
Deputy Migration Minister Sofia Voultepsi, in a press statement, emphasized NERM’s significant contribution, stating, “NERM has so far contributed to the identification and accommodation of 4,144 unaccompanied minors living in precarious conditions.”
She added, “For us, every international distinction is another message to not be complacent but to continue to improve. We are happy to share our experience and good practices with other countries. Every distinction gives us the strength to continue with more determination and with all our strength. To disarm organized crime and radicalization.”
Greece’s NERM Program includes a 24/7 tracing line designed to identify and trace children in need. The tracing line guides children, citizens, and local and public authorities on steps and actions to be taken from the point of identification of an unaccompanied foreign minor until his/her timely inclusion in an emergency accommodation.
NERM is also tasked with the placement of the children in special emergency accommodation facilities and facilitating the relevant identification process, when necessary. Under this initiative, children are provided with material and psychosocial support, interpretation services, and safe accompaniment when outside the accommodation facilities, including representation during registration procedures with the authorities, through mobile units and information desks.
Additionally, a specific procedure for the proper registration and protection of unaccompanied and separated children from Ukraine arriving in Greece has been established since March 2022, with the General Secretariat mobilizing the NERM for these cases.
