50 unaccompanied minors moved from Pournara to Paphos facility

Another 50 unaccompanied minors were transferred from Pournara reception centre for asylum seekers to a Paphos-based facility on Wednesday, with more expected to be taken there in the coming days, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Anastasia Anthousi said on Thursday.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Anthousi said “all the relevant services are there,” including medical services and the police for security reasons with the aim “to get the procedures done and complete the assessment of the minors”.

She added that in the next few days, after the operation of the shelter has been examined, the rest of the children will be transferred.

“We have decided together with the social welfare services that the children will be transferred in two more phases, with the aim of completing the transfer in the next few days.”

She said everything is going well, according to the information she was given so far.

There are also volunteers and state primary teachers from Poed union who have expressed their willingness to assist with the project for after-school activities, the deputy minister said.

The remaining unaccompanied minors whose assessment process has been completed, will be transferred gradually.

“For the rest, we are in consultation with the interior minister and the asylum service so that the procedures can be expedited in Pournara as well,” she said.

The deputy minister highlighted this is an interim, transitional solution and the accommodation problem of unaccompanied minors will persist in the future.

“The continued migration flows will create a problem for us because the structures are not there when these procedures are completed,” she said.

Also on Wednesday, 50 unaccompanied minors, all boys aged 15 to 17, were transferred from Pournara to an apartment complex in Pervolia, Larnaca.

A total of 150 minors were originally scheduled to be relocated to accommodation in Famagusta following a cabinet decision, but new locations had to be secured after the owner of the original accommodation unexpectedly retracted his offer last week.

Anthousi said last week, the complex will operate as a controlled closed facility, supervised privately by social workers and the social welfare office.

The closed facility will also include a teaching centre that will provide Greek language lessons and other educational programmes for the minors.

Pournara hit the headlines earlier this month after dozens of minors left the centre and camped near a church in Nicosia to protest over living conditions, which were described as dismal especially for unaccompanied minors.

This prompted a visit to the facility by President Nicos Anastasiades, which was followed by a high-level meeting that decided on a series of steps to ease overcrowding of both the adult population and of unaccompanied minors.