New Child Protection Network Calls for Unified Agency to Safeguard At-Risk Youth
A coalition of child-protection NGOs presented a set of reforms, including a single coordinating secretariat, to improve early detection and care for vulnerable children in Greece.
In response to public outrage over a frozen infant case, a newly established Network of Child Protection Organizations gathered stakeholders to diagnose chronic weaknesses in Greece's child-protection system. Participants, including child-rights lawyer Pelopidas Nikolaopoulos and network coordinator Stergios Sifnios, stressed the need for state-driven initiatives pressured by civil society. The core demand is a General Secretariat for Child Protection under the Ministry of Family and Social Cohesion to coordinate the seven current bodies, such as the police and local social services.
Representatives from SOS Children Villages, the Smile of the Child, and other NGOs highlighted the lack of effective protocols, especially for sexual abuse cases, and warned that prolonged hospital stays can constitute secondary victimisation. The network also urged the establishment of permanent juvenile prosecutors, social work units in courts, professional foster care outside hospitals, and nationwide child-care homes, while protecting children's personal data in line with privacy regulations.
