“The mother of a 14-year-old teenager complains that instead of both children In order to achieve greater success within the structure, they are doing worse than before they turned to the state for protection. OUR Othonas Papadopoulos, lawyer for the mother of a minor who lived in a child protection center in Nea Smyrni and was allegedly a victim of pimpingin a conversation with “K”, questions arise about the structure of the block in which a 14-year-old girl and her 16-year-old sister are placed.

As the criminologist adds, the mother of four girls was brutally abused by her ex-husband and was forced to turn to the prosecutor’s office so that the state would take care of her children, since she herself could not do it. So. Thus, two girls ended up in the New Smyrna structure, and the other two in another state structure. As soon as the New Smyrna case became known, mother learns that her 14-year-old daughter has escaped from the building more than 50 times. “Almost always the 14-year-old left at noon and returned the next morning. However, according to the mother, the 16-year-old was also not well cared for. Please note that last September he was gone for three weeks“.

The case began to unfold earlier in the week, when it became known that the teenager had entered into an affair with a 29-year-old man, allegedly her pimp, who met the minor through a former Peace Box inmate. who allegedly filmed sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl on a mobile phone, and a third man also visited a hotel in Metaxourgio. The Athenian prosecutor’s office opened criminal cases against three men in each case for pimping, sexual acts with minors and child pornography. After an apology, the first two were taken into custody.

Chronic refugee problem

Problems in the mentioned state structure, which has been operating since 1932, seem to have laid the foundation for 2012when he acquires a very specific mission: “to accept girls aged 12-18 who need a safe environment, social care, protection and rehabilitation.” The police officers told K that already in that year about the escapes of girls from the unit began to enter the local police department, which are considered “voluntary” and last from several hours to several days. “On weekdays they last several hours, and on weekends they last for two whole days,” they note.

OUR Panagiotis Yatsidis, deputy mayor for social policy, health and solidarity in the municipality of Nea Smyrni, told K that there has been an increase in the number of missed alerts, that is, notifications sent by Smile of a Child, when a child is publicly reported missing. In accordance with Kostas Yiannopoulospresident of Smile Child, “during the year we issued four warnings about the absence of this particular unit by order of the prosecutor’s office”.

Mr. Giatsidis describes the huge building that houses the unit as a space with a very closed profile in the local community, but which “functions as a loose structure.” “They go, sleep, open the door and leave” he usually talks about a few children Now there are only 13 people there.

In this regard, and also due to the fact that the situation began to be considered alarming, an investigation was launched by the local police department in December last year. According to “K”, the girls who had previously escaped from the building, including 14 years old, they spoke to the police, but none of them said they were unhappy with the device. Their responses are described as formal and “tough”, with questions becoming more specific about where they were headed when they left the building. The same sources report that in such an environment where children “click” very often, the process always ends “automatically” in A.T. area created favorable conditions for underage girls to become victims.

“With so many girls in the structure, it’s like having a big extended family» watching from the side Sofia Constantelia, former president of the Attica Regional Welfare Center, adding that “among other things, elementary rules must be respected and trusting relationships with children cultivated.” “Your 12- and 13-year-old girls have gone missing for three nights in a row. How do you allow it? he wonders.

In response to the relevant question “K”, Deputy Minister of Social Insurance Domna Mihailidou stated that in a specific structure and according to the relevant protocol, the frequency and context of departure is the decision of the academic council of each structure and differs from child to child, if only his maturity, responsibility and psychological state were taken into account. Children can go out 2-3 times a week for about 2-3 hours to socialize and lead a normal life. Children under 15 are always accompanied on walks. For teenage girls over 15 years old, the Academic Council decides whether to go outside with or without escort, taking into account the individual characteristics of the teenager. In the case of an unaccompanied exit, there is communication and agreement between the teenager and the supporting persons of the structure about where she will be and how long she will remain outside the structure.

“It is useful to clarify that the specific structure is not open, in the sense that children spend the night inside the structure“, notes Ms. Mihailidou, and continues: “However, the child protection structure in which even adolescent girls live, it cannot function as a prison. It is important to understand that a curfew or constant surveillance not only does not help balance an already wounded psyche, but also has the opposite effect. In the past, when institutional protocols called for tight security and in some cases no entry, children reacted harshly and violently, with attempts at self-harm that endangered their physical health. That is why, in the case of children with behavioral problems, such as in the case of a 14-year-old, the relevant protocol stipulates that whenever the child does not return to the building at the agreed time, the police should be immediately informed. who, in cooperation with structure managers, are responsible for its discovery. In this specific structure, by order of the prosecutor, teenage girls with deep psycho-emotional traumas, difficult-to-control children, who are not accepted by other structures, are placed. In addition to the staff of the structure, there is cooperation with a security company. It is noted that for this particular structure, the presence of security forces has increased.”

2013 Complaints and Ombudsman Report

Looking back at the history of the structure at Nea Smyrni, one finds that the problems in its operation are eternal and varied. 2013just a year after it began operating as a child protection unit exclusively for teenage girls, three girls began writing complaint that a man working in the department as a social worker insulted them. “In 2018, the case ended and the man was acquitted. According to the decision, he had to return to work. We decided to transfer him to an adult institution for obvious reasons, ”she notes in K. Sophia Constantella.

In the same year Mr. The Ombudsman receives messages from minors living in the and begins a five-year in-depth investigation. The echelons of power carry out visits and communication with host girls, members of the administration and staff, while monitoring the intervention of various administrations in order to prevent and prevent tensions, escapes and cases of deviant behavior.

In 2018, the Ombudsman closes his investigation and sends a series of proposals to the then Chairman of the Board of Directors of KPPPA and Secretary General of Social Security. between issues identified by an independent bodyis that the size of the building, the heterogeneity of the guests and the severity of their problems, as well as the problems of staff cooperation lead to a malfunction of the device.

The lawyer proposes the appointment of a supervisor, strengthening the staffing of the social service, improving cooperation and cohesion of staff and revising the Internal Regulations for working in cooperation with children. While he points to her Adequate and stable staffing needs to be ensured in order to eliminate the phenomenon of constant staff turnover.

Finally, the principle notes that a total transformation of the unit is necessary, given the seriousness and chronicity of the problemsproposing the establishment of three small units, two well-staffed shelters to accommodate and provide quality support to adolescents, and a supported shelter for girls who have reached the age of majority and are not yet ready to live on their own.

The Ombudsman’s proposal was included in the agency’s deinstitutionalization program. However, as Ms. Constantelia told K, when she asked for project managers, master’s degrees, and experience in alternative child care structures, ASEP did not accept the condition and held a competition with general scoring conditions. Moreover, as she emphasizes, in units such as this one, there are no interrogation measures or other measures to assess the identity of workers who are forced to live in close contact with child victims. “These structures are “complicated” because they require funds to be correct and functional, and those who manage them must constantly “beg” for resources. That’s why and always staff come and gowith workers coming from public benefit programs and their contracts expire after a while,” notes the former president of the KKPPA.

Regarding the specific question, Ms. Mihailidou responds that the recruitment process is indeed carried out through ASEP, since it is a public entity and this process does not include an interview stage. But he notes that all employees of the structures are trained by the agency and attend training seminars on more specific issues such as abuse and exploitation, while beneficiaries are also provided with relevant trainings.