UN Goodwill Ambassador to visit Greece amid refugee crisis

The Goodwill Ambassador of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), singer Nana Mouskouri, and the UN agency's regional director, Marie-Pierre Poirier, are visiting Greece amid ongoing refugee and migrant crisis, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, told reporters here Thursday.

"Their four-day mission aims to see the work being done to help refugee and migrant children and their families in Athens and Piraeus," Haq said at a daily news briefing here.

Some 22,000 children are among the 55,000 migrants and refugees currently stranded in Greece, hosted in 35 camps and sites on the mainland and islands, he noted.

UNICEF is scaling up its response to provide more support for children and meet their most pressing needs in terms of protection, health and education, he said.

Each day, some 1,000 refugees are arriving on Greece's shores. Most of the refugees have fled the unrelenting civil war in Syria, now in its sixth year. The rising number of people entering Europe in search of safety and in search of a better life has captured the world's attention with scenes of heartbreaking tragedy.

Amid this crisis, children are the most vulnerable of all. Many are travelling with their families, while many others are on their own. Every one of them is in need of protection and entitled to the rights guaranteed under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Migrant children and women, especially those migrating without documentation, are vulnerable to trafficking, abuse and exploitation.

In countries of transit and destination, migrants and their families often find themselves victims of discrimination, poverty and social marginalization. Enditem