In 2015, Greece found itself on the frontline of the biggest refugee crisis since World War II and caught unprepared to receive record numbers of people. The EU shut its border to Greece in 2016 to prevent refugees from moving further up the continent, leaving 50,000 people trapped there. Among them are up to 3,000 unaccompanied children aged 12 to 17 who have traveled alone from countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Pakistan. With insufficient accommodation, almost half of the young unaccompanied refugees in Greece have fallen outside of the system, many ending up on the streets where they are exposed to all sorts of dangers, including sexual exploitation and abuse.
We meet two boys, aged 15 and 16 who were coerced into prostitution in exchange for food and a few euros. We also speak the Mayor of Athens, Giorgos Kaminis, who is outspoken about the horrors facing young refugees in his city, and investigate whether his attempts to put pressure on the police have been effective.
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