A/HRC/44/51/Add.1
violence units, with a view to enhancing its capacity to address gender-based violence
sensitively and effectively.
B.
Preventing gender-based violence against women
64.
The experts welcome the efforts by the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the
Supreme Court, the General Secretariat for Gender Equality and other State entities to raise
public awareness through the media and educational programmes, as part of the efforts of
Greece aimed at preventing gender-based violence against women. However, a more
strategic approach to prevention is needed, in particular in rural areas, including targeted
and long-term education and awareness-raising on the causes and consequences of genderbased violence.
VII. Greater vulnerability and exclusion experienced by
marginalized groups of women
A.
Migrant and refugee women
65.
Given that Greece is a first-line reception country, the Government, local authorities
and people in Greece have faced the challenge of receiving unprecedented numbers of
migrants and refugees since 2015. New arrivals were occurring daily at the time of the visit.
That has placed additional pressures on government resources, services and infrastructure.
In close coordination with UNHCR and other international organizations, and with support
from civil society institutions, the Government has committed to upholding the principle of
universal human rights, such as access to education for all children and universal medical
care for all, including undocumented migrants and asylum seekers, and providing
protection against gender-based violence against women. In practice, however, serious
challenges and gaps remain.
66.
The experts of the Working Group spoke with women migrants, asylum seekers and
refugees in Athens, Thessaloniki and Lesvos and visited women’s centres run by nongovernmental organizations inside and outside Moria refugee camp in Lesvos; they were
struck by the stories of resilience and strength and the expressions of hope for a better
future. The experts were impressed with the work of civil society organizations, including
those which provide safe spaces and support for women and their children. Those
organizations enable women to build confidence, empowerment and agency. The experts
were fortunate to see that first hand at the centre of the Melissa Network in Athens and the
Bashira Centre in Lesvos.
67.
There are a number of positive developments in support of refugee women,
including Law No. 45/31 of 2018 giving undocumented persons the right to report genderbased violence without fear of deportation. Despite that law, survivors of gender-based
violence still lack access to support and safety. In some cases, women are unable to report
cases of such violence, because of the lack of trained staff at police stations or the
unwillingness of the police to take the case, because it is considered a “family matter”. The
lack of interpretation services at hospitals was systematically reported to the experts as a
key concern directly affecting the ability of women to receive the medical care that they
needed.
68.
The experts learned that the overwhelming majority of the women in Moria refugee
camp were considered vulnerable, from multiple points of view. Many have been victims of
human rights violations in their countries of origin and endured further suffering on their
journeys, including at the hands of human traffickers and smugglers. Many stakeholders
pointed out that the current migration policy of the containment of asylum seekers in camps
exacerbates the vulnerability of women, given that they have no options other than to live
in the difficult conditions in the camps while awaiting the processing of their asylum
applications. The experts are pleased to learn that the authorities have revised the protocol
and guidelines for the transfer of vulnerable women to the mainland.
69.
In Moria refugee camp, the experts witnessed the vulnerable situation of women,
despite the efforts employed by the authorities to provide separate spaces for single women
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