CAT/C/GRC/CO/7
23.
The State party should:
(a)
Ensure that children are not detained solely because of their
immigration status. Detention should be used only as a measure of last resort and for
the shortest period possible;
(b)
End the practice of detaining migrants and asylum seekers, especially
unaccompanied children, in police holding cells and other detention facilities that are
not suitable for long stays.
Sexual and gender-based violence against refugee and asylum-seeking women
24.
While taking note of the information provided by the State party during the dialogue
on the measures taken to address gender-based violence in the context of migration, the
Committee remains concerned at the reported high incidence of violence, including sexual
violence, against refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant women and girls occurring in
Greece. The Committee is concerned, in particular, at reports indicating an increasing
incidence of sexual harassment and assaults at some refugee reception centres, mainly due
to a lack of adequate and secure accommodation and facilities. According to the
information received, the areas around latrines and showers are usually not well lit, and
therefore women and girls do not feel safe using them at night. The Committee draws the
attention of the State party to reports indicating the difficulties that victims of rape face
when seeking care, including limited or no access to emergency contraception and postexposure prophylaxis. It is further concerned at reports that police officers and prosecutors
often do not take adequate steps to protect victims of gender-based violence (arts. 2, 11 and
16).
25.
The State party should:
(a)
Take effective measures to ensure that all cases of gender-based violence
– in particular against refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant women and girls, and
especially those cases involving actions or omissions by State authorities or other
entities that engage the international responsibility of the State party under the
Convention – are thoroughly investigated, that the alleged perpetrators are
prosecuted and, if convicted, punished appropriately, and that the victims or their
families receive redress, including adequate compensation;
(b)
Ensure that police officers and prosecutors refrain from turning away
alleged victims of gender-based violence. The State party should also consider revising
police practices that may deter women from seeking protection from the authorities in
cases where they have been subjected to or are at risk of gender-based violence;
(c)
Provide mandatory training on the prosecution of gender-based violence
to all justice officials and law enforcement personnel and continue awareness-raising
campaigns on all forms of violence against women;
(d)
Adopt specific protective measures, including the establishment of a
mechanism to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence against
refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant women and girls, especially those held in
reception and identification centres at ��hotspots”, in other reception centres and in
other immigration detention facilities;
(e)
Ensure that survivors of gender based-violence are able to access shelters
and receive the necessary medical care, psychological support and legal assistance
they require;
(f)
Compile and provide to the Committee statistical data, disaggregated by
the age and ethnicity or nationality of the victim, on the numbers of complaints,
investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sentences recorded in cases of genderbased violence, and on the measures adopted to ensure that victims have access to
effective remedies and reparation.
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