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116 total results foundAuthor: Doctors Without Borders - Medecins Sans Frontieres Title: Migrants in Detention: Lives on Hold Summary: This report documents the impact of detention on the mental health and well being of migrants and asylum seekers in Greece and reveals the unacceptable living conditions in three detention centers (Pagani on Lesvos Island, Filakio in Evros and Venna in Rodopi(. The report calls on the Greek government to ensure humane and dignified living conditions in detention centres and to consider alternatives, especially for vulnerable groups. Details: Athens: Medecins Sans Frontieres, 2010. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2010 at: http://www.msf.org/source/countries/europe/greece/2010/Migrants_in_detention.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Greece Keywords: Illegal Aliens Shelf Number: 119826 |
Author: Nomikos, John M. Title: Illegal Immigration and Organized Crime in Greece Summary: During the 1990’s the immigration problem in Greece started to have explosive dimensions due to political and economic developments in South-East Europe, but also due to the continuous conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. An important factor which played an important role in shaping these developments was the collapse of Alia’s regime in Albania (1991) and the subsequent flow of illegal immigrants from Albania into Greece and also from other Balkan countries (Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, FYROM) due to the political unrest that took place in the Balkans during that period. In Greece, immigration policy is facing the same inflexibility which does not solve the problem but rather functions in a fragmentary way and does not constitute a substantial effort in solving the problem. Dealing with illegal immigration as a national security threat is a strategic option and it is absolutely necessary the formation of an immigration policy which will prevent the flow of illegal immigrants and give directions in regard to the integration of the legal immigrants in Greek society in coordination with the European Immigration Policy which will be formed by the European Commission. Greece has to form and implement a long term immigration policy which will include efficient mechanisms of internal and external control (cooperation of Ministries of Employment, Interior, National Defense, Foreign Affairs, Public Health and Mercantile Marine) in cooperation with our European Union partners and non- European Union states like Turkey, where the bigger number of illegal immigrants are flowing to Greece. This article has three sections. The first section is referring to the institutional framework in Greece and the observations in regard to the implementation or not of this framework in order to handle in a more efficient way the immigration problem. The second section is describing the causes of the flow of illegal immigrants in Greece and the repercussions on national security. Finally, the third section is referring to the latest developments in European Union immigration policies and the role of Immigration Liaison Officers (ILO) in facing illegal immigration. Liaison Officers (ILO) are serving in the immigration offices of the European Union Member States and they try to coordinate and implement national immigration policies into a common European Immigration Policy. Details: Athens, Greece: Research Institute for European and American Studies, 2010. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Paper No. 144: Accessed December 17, 2010 at: http://www.rieas.gr/images/rieas144.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Greece Keywords: Illegal Aliens Shelf Number: 120541 |
Author: Balafoutas, Loukas: Beck, Adrian Title: What Drives Taxi Drivers? A Field Experiment on Fraud in a Market for Credence Goods Summary: Credence goods are characterized by informational asymmetries between sellers and consumers that invite fraudulent behavior by sellers. This paper presents the results of a natural field experiment on taxi rides in Athens, Greece, set up to measure different types of fraud and to examine the influence of passengers’ presumed information and income on the extent of fraud. Results reveal that taxi drivers cheat passengers in systematic ways: Passengers with inferior information about optimal routes are taken on longer detours while asymmetric information on the local tariff system leads to manipulated bills. Higher income seems to lead to more fraud. Details: Munich: CESifo Group, 2011. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: CESifo Working Paper No. 3461: Accessed June 27, 2011 at: http://www.ifo.de/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/1205745.PDF Year: 2011 Country: Greece Keywords: Consumer Fraud Shelf Number: 121833 |
Author: Invernizzi, Antonella Title: Vulnerability to Exploitation and Trafficking of Bulgarian Children and Adolescents in Greece: A Case Study of Street Based Survival Strategies in Thessaloniki Summary: Streets and public spaces in Greece are vibrant and lively spaces during the day as well as night for leisure and social life and also for a number of very diverse economic activities. One might mention artists such as musicians or actors, elderly people selling coffee or cigarettes, people selling snacks or lottery tickets, women near markets selling cloths and curtains, adults and children selling candles or other religious items, tissues, CDs and DVDs, fl owers, with beggars seemingly gaining the sympathy by showing disability or family responsibility, which usually means carrying a baby or a toddler in their arms, or being accompanied by a disabled child. We also observed an adult with an adolescent seemingly in need of care, with a sign explaining about the surgery she needs. At the traffic lights, young people might hand out advertising material or leaflets to drivers whilst adolescents and adults clean windscreens. This is the scenario in which this research took place. Such a broad range of economic activities are carried out in the streets by a very heterogeneous population: old and young, of Greek as well as foreign nationality, of Roma origins as well as belonging to what it is usually considered as Greek mainstream society. Streets in the cities are often fast changing and some of the street work observed during this research might be the survival strategies of particularly vulnerable individuals facing hardship as a result of the economic turmoil. This might include internal or international migrants looking for income in very difficult circumstances. For others, such as students and young artists, the street is a space for generating income as well as having an audience for performances, thus incorporating a dimension of rehearsal and training. For those who beg or sell services or goods of limited use, the need is to generate compassion and empathy in order to gain some kind of income. Where this entail situations of authentic distress and extreme uncertainty, begging equally involves a display of the suffering and powerlessness to persuade the potential benefactor to support the beggar. In some cases, the display might be quite aggressive, as in the case of a woman with a baby showing her breast to drivers to bluntly point to the fact she was breastfeeding. Some beggars might act out fake disabilities, for instance a young woman who cleverly hid her arm in the sleeve of her coat whilst begging or pretend to have family responsibilities by carrying a child in her arms who might be that of a friend. Begging might also be a sort of cover for other activities such as picking pockets and for spotting potential victims or distracting them. More worryingly, both begging and delinquency might be, as information on trafficking shows, for the benefit of others whereby individual children and adults might be working under the hidden control of more powerful and sometimes well organised adults who are forcing and exploiting them into these activities. It is in this complex, constantly changing and very diverse environment that street social workers act to support children and adolescents facing hardship and risks and attempt to protect children from the most negative aspects of the street life. This includes identifying abuse and exploitation as well as, when and wherever possible, potential patterns of trafficking. Professionals need to build at least an often implicit framework to distinguish fake needs from ‘real’ ones whilst accepting that display of misery is part of begging. They have to identify potential delinquent behaviour behind the ‘less unacceptable’ and often tolerated survival strategies and, when it comes to family survival strategies, make the part of that which is the outcome of poverty, instability or particular widespread practices of some categories of the population from what is abuse or exploitation of children and vulnerable adults. They also need to keep an open mind on the possibility of trafficking in human beings. This research was aimed at supporting policy making and programmes active in the field by contributing to a better knowledge of the situation of these populations. Whereas street economic activities, including the most marginal and problematic ones, are from far not a question of specific grouping or categorisation but by and large cover a broader number of national and foreign ethnic and age categories, the specific focus was on Bulgarian children in the streets of Thessaloniki as part of the activities of the MARIO project. It resulted out of a partnership between MARIO project, Terre des Hommes and ARSIS Thessaloniki. ARSIS has proven expertise in the area of child trafficking and has already implemented a number of programmes in Greece and Albania with children working in the street that include prevention and protection in relation to traffi cking as well as support fo families. Whilst the population of Bulgarian children in the streets of Thessaloniki was seemingly increasing, communication and intervention with this population was confronted with barriers in communication and lack of background information on these specific groups. MARIO project’s set up for the study thus included a research team made of ARSIS based social worker, Ms Valbona Hystuna; Bulgaria based social worker, Ms Ulyana Matveeva (Alliance for Children and Youth, Sofi a) and the research consultant who is author of this report. The research set out to examine the situation of Bulgarian children and adolescents living and/or carrying out economic activities in the streets of Thessaloniki with an examination of migration patterns, vulnerability to and experiences of exploitation and, in the event, of patterns of trafficking. Details: Budapest: MARIO Project,Budapest in collaboration with ARSIS Thessaloniki, 2011. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 29, 2011 at: http://www.fitdh.org/pdf/pressreleases/bulgarian_children_in_greece_mario_report.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Greece Keywords: Begging Shelf Number: 121894 |
Author: Mann, Itamar Title: The EU’s Dirty Hands: Frontex Involvement in Ill-Treatment of Migrant Detainees in Greece Summary: Between November 2, 2010 and March 2, 2011, nearly 12,000 migrants entering Greece at its land border with Turkey were arrested and detained. The detention facilities where they were held did not meet minimal human rights standards. Though their treatment varied from place to place, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has held that migrant detention in Greece generally constitutes “inhuman and degrading treatment.” During this same period, the European Union’s (EU) agency for the management of operational cooperation at external borders, Frontex, provided Greece with both manpower and material support, made available by participating states, which facilitated the detention of those migrants in sub-human conditions in Greece’s overcrowded migrant detention centers. This report addresses this disturbing contradiction. Although the ECtHR categorically ruled that the transfer of migrants to detention in Greece would expose them to prohibited abuse, an executive agency of the EU and border guards from EU member states knowingly facilitate such transfers. The focus of this report is the period of Frontex’s “RABIT 2010” deployment in Greece. With RABIT (“Rapid Border Intervention Team”), Frontex deployed 175 border guards contributed by Norway and EU member states to the Greek government’s efforts to manage the influx of migrants into the northeastern region of Greece along the Evros River bordering Turkey. The “guest officers,” chosen from a pool provided by participating EU member states and other non-EU European states, operated in Greece in their respective national uniforms but not under the operational control of their home authorities. Frontex describes its mission as one of coordination, research, and surveillance. But Frontex sent equipment such as vans, buses, patrol cars, and a helicopter, provided by participating states, and covered the expenses incurred by the RABIT operation. Frontex also operated in close proximity to the four detention centers where human rights violations have consistently been recorded. During the RABIT operation, guest officers from participating states who went out on patrols with at least one Greek officer were authorized to apprehend migrants and then transfer them to Greek counterparts who ran the detention facilities. Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2011. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 24, 2011 at: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/greece0911webwcover_0.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Greece Keywords: Illegal Immigrants (Greece) Shelf Number: 122899 |
Author: Lymouris, Nikolaos Title: Tracking in Greece Summary: Trafficking in human beings has taken on great proportions worldwide over the last twenty years. “Traditional” slave trade and slavery have evolved into a “modern” business, especially under the forms of compulsory labour and sexual exploitation. It is estimated that trafficking in human beings constitutes the third largest “criminal business” after illicit trafficking of narcotics and arms. Details: Munich: MPRA Munich Personal RePEc Archive, 2007. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: MPRA Paper No. 32457: Accessed May 3, 2012 at: http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/32457/1/MPRA_paper_32457.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Greece Keywords: Human Trafficking (Greece) Shelf Number: 125136 |
Author: Amnesty International Title: Police Violence in Greece: Not Just 'Isolated Incidents' Summary: Amnesty International has received a large number of allegations of human rights violations committed by law enforcement officials in Greece. Excessive force is used against largely peaceful protesters and journalists covering demonstrations, and there are frequent reports of ill-treatment of individuals during arrest or detention, including those belonging to vulnerable sectors of society. While the authorities accept that such violations occur, they have classed them as “isolated incidents” and fail to acknowledge the extent of this systemic problem. Moreover, police and judicial authorities frequently fail to conduct prompt and thorough investigations, and victims are unwilling to report abuses owing to a lack of confidence in the criminal justice system. As long as these deterrents remain absent, police are effectively free to repeat these crimes with impunity. Drawing on a wide range of material, Amnesty International makes urgent recommendations to the Greek authorities for implementation in law and practice. These include ensuring police exercise restraint and identify themselves clearly during demonstrations, improving safeguards for those in custody and creating a truly independent and effective police complaints mechanism. Details: London: Amnesty International, 2012. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 5, 2012 at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR25/005/2012/en/edbf2deb-ae15-4409-b9ee-ee6c62b3f32b/eur250052012en.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Greece Keywords: Police Brutality (Greece) Shelf Number: 125479 |
Author: Tagkalakis, Athanasios Title: Audits and Tax Offenders: Recent Evidence from Greece Summary: Using a novel dataset on summer 2012 tax inspections by the Hellenic Ministry of Finance in tourist and high economic activity areas in 13 regions in Greece we found that the intensification of tax audits can induce tax compliance. This finding is very important at the current juncture for Greece as it shows that improvement in tax administration and tax enforcement mechanisms can deter tax evasion, increase tax revenues and contribute to the on-going fiscal consolidation effort. Details: Athens: Bank of Greece, Economic Research Department - Special Studies Division, 2013. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper no. 152: Accessed August 20, 2015 at: http://www.bankofgreece.gr/BogEkdoseis/Paper2013152.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Greece Keywords: Financial Crimes Shelf Number: 136505 |
Author: Litina, Anastasia Title: Corruption and Tax Evasion: Reflections on Greek Tragedy Summary: We provide empirical support and a theoretical explanation for the vicious circle of political corruption and tax evasion in which countries often fall into. We address this issue in the context of a model with two distinct groups of agents: citizens and politicians. Citizens decide the fraction of their income for which they evade taxes. Politicians decide the fraction of the public budget that they peculate. We show that multiple self-fulfilling equilibria with different levels of corruption can emerge based on the existence of strategic complementarities, indicating that "corruption" may corrupt. Furthermore, we find that standard deterrence policies cannot eliminate the multiplicity of equilibria. Instead, policies that impose a strong moral cost on tax evaders and corrupt politicians can lead to a unique equilibrium. Details: Athens: Back of Greece, Economic Analysis and Research Department, 2015. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper 193: Accessed August 28, 2015 at: http://www.bankofgreece.gr/BogEkdoseis/Paper2015193.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Greece Keywords: Corruption Shelf Number: 136614 |
Author: Charalampous, Ioanna Title: Business crime in Greece: employment offences in third sector companies Summary: In current times, with business as the focal point of society in which economic strain is prevalent, it is important to be able to investigate the dysfunction and deviance that can arise as a result, since their effects will be felt in all aspects of modern social life. Upon this assumption, the current research investigates the influence of business crime, with a specific focus on the offences committed by businesses against their workforce over employment legislation. This research is delimited to companies of the third sector of the economy, commerce and financial services in particular. Entrepreneurship, business practice, employment legislation, the regulatory system and economic strain and crisis are all examined in order to investigate the phenomenon in Greece. The fieldwork consists of secondary statistical analysis of reports from the relevant regulatory offices and qualitative interviews with four target groups: employees who are victims of business crime at the work place, inspectors, trade union members and business managers and owners. The analysis follows a macro-meso-micro focus of analysis in order to provide a spherical illustration of all factors influencing deviance. Power imbalances within the capitalist system of production influencing social structures and imbalances in relevant relations of agency agents and the state, community and society are significant analytical elements of business deviance. Unpaid enforced overtime and illegal employment constitute the two prevailing offences and create a work environment of insecurity and informality. Structural factors like state-promoted entrepreneurship, changes in legislation, decreased collectivity and economic strain play an important role as do low reporting and conviction rates. The role of the state is a key element linking the levels of analysis and its further functions are instrumental in shaping legislation, systems of control, and perceptions of harm and impact of crime. Additionally, the state can act as a facilitator to deviance by participation in criminality for profit. The conclusions of this study can enhance an interest in business crime, modern criminological research in Greece and can additionally inform policy and practice. Details: Middlesex, UK: Middlesex University, school of Health and Social Science, 2012. 269p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 5, 2015 at: http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/9270/1/IoannaCharalampousPhD.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Greece Keywords: Employment Offences Shelf Number: 136690 |
Author: Artavanis, Nikolaos Title: Tax Evasion across Industries: Soft Credit Evidence from Greece Summary: We document that in semiformal economies, banks lend to tax-evading individuals based on the bank's assessment of the individual's true income. This observation leads to a novel approach to estimate tax evasion. We use microdata on household credit from a Greek bank, and replicate the bank underwriting model to infer the banks estimate of individuals' true income. We estimate that 43%-45% of self-employed income goes unreported and thus untaxed. For 2009, this implies 28.2 billion euros of unreported income, implying foregone tax revenues of over 11 billion euros or 30% of the deficit. Our method innovation allows for estimating the industry distribution of tax evasion in settings where uncovering the incidence of hidden cash transactions is difficult using other methods. Primary tax-evading industries are professional services - medicine, law, engineering, education, and media. We conclude with evidence that contemplates the importance of institutions, paper trail and political willpower for the persistence of tax evasion. Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2015. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper No. 21552: Accessed September 16, 2015 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w21552 Year: 2015 Country: Greece Keywords: Financial Crimes Shelf Number: 136778 |
Author: Zervos, Eleni Title: The Invisible Crime: Sex Trafficking in Greece. An Analysis of the Structural Barriers and Vulnerability Victims Face in Seeking Protection Summary: Human trafficking remains one of the most pervasive and profitable organized criminal activities in the world. Generating $150 billion globally, it ranks as the third largest and fastest growing international crime, exploiting millions of people in the process. A criminal industry driven by market demands, its vast spread can be credited to its economic model as a low risk enterprise with immense financial gains. It ranges from both sexual and labor exploitation, to organ harvesting and, in some cases, forced begging and theft5. Of the 21 million people human trafficking victimizes, 11.4 million are women and girls while 9.5 million are men and boys. 33% are children7. The most common form of trafficking, accounting for 53% of all individuals trafficked, is sexual exploitation8 victimizing 4.1 million people9 with females making up an overwhelming majority of 97%. Unfortunately, given the illicit nature of these human rights violations, it is difficult to accurately assess the full scope of this crime and any data collected represents either only one portion of this large-scale issue or is based on estimates. When reviewing these statistics, it is also important to take into consideration that higher numbers of reported trafficking victims in one country do not necessarily signify higher actual numbers of victims, but might simply represent a more sophisticated means of data acquisition in that particular country. There are, however, global trends that can be identified when studying how human trafficking spreads throughout the world. While it is a crime with international reach, victims are often from impoverished countries with limited resources. Wealthier countries are generally where demand and exploitation is highest. In particular, human trafficking tends to thrive in countries where women's rights are devalued, and where women typically hold economically disadvantaged positions in comparison to their male counterparts. Trafficking is prevalent in conflict zones, both because they are intrinsically a context where the risk of exploitation is elevated, and because some members of local peacekeeping missions have been known to solicit sexual activity with trafficking victims themselves. Details: Athens: Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign policy, 2015. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper No. 69/2015: Accessed March 4, 2016 at: http://www.eliamep.gr/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/69_2015_-WORKING-PAPER-_Eleni-Zervos.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Greece Keywords: Forced Labor Shelf Number: 138036 |
Author: Council of Europe Title: Report to the Greek Government on the visit to Greece carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 14 to 23 April 2015 Summary: The purpose of the April 2015 ad hoc visit to Greece was to assess the implementation of the CPT's previous recommendations, notably those contained in the reports on the 2011 and 2013 visits. To this end, its delegation examined the treatment of persons in police custody and the practical application of safeguards surrounding their detention. A specific focus of the visit was to look into the effectiveness of investigations of police ill-treatment allegations. It also reviewed the treatment and detention conditions of inmates in several prison establishments, including Korydallos Prison Hospital, and examined the situation of juveniles and foreign nationals deprived of their liberty. The delegation received, with a few exceptions, very good cooperation from both the Greek authorities and staff at the establishments visited. However, cooperation also entails that decisive action be taken to improve the situation in the light of the CPT's recommendations. This has still not happened. The findings of the 2015 visit demonstrate clearly that the situation in prisons has become critical and that urgent action is required for their recovery starting with tackling the excessive overcrowding and chronic understaffing in most establishments. Further, the serious problem of police ill-treatment needs to be fully recognised and a mechanism put in place to effectively investigate ill-treatment allegations. Details: Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 2016. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 16, 2016 at: http://www.cpt.coe.int/documents/grc/2016-04-inf-eng.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Greece Keywords: Human Rights Abuses Shelf Number: 138691 |
Author: Anagnostou, Dia Title: Trends in Radicalisation that May Lead to Violence: National Background Study, Greece Summary: This report focusses on the case of Greece, where the phenomenon of radicalisation has been present throughout the period from the mid-1970s. Greece displays one of the most persistent problems of terrorism in Europe, raising anew the question of why extremist and revolutionary organisations continue to emerge and be active in democracies. Since the 2010, right wing and left wing extremism and radicalisation have intensified, especially in the context of a deepening social and economic crisis. The report provides a background study on radicalisation in Greece and the various forms that it takes, as a basis to bridge existing knowledge gaps on the subject. It provides and overview of past and current radicalisation trends. The national background study aims to first, identify and assess the legal and institutional responses to the processes of radicalisation that may lead to acts of violence and second, to review and analyse trends (ideas, actors, actions, motivations and root causes) in three strands of radicalisation (right and left wing, Islamist radicalisation and football hooliganism). Details: Sofia, Bulgaria: Center for the Study of Democracy, 2015. 87p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 13, 2016 at: http://www.csd.bg/artShow.php?id=17572 Year: 2015 Country: Greece Keywords: Extremism Shelf Number: 139416 |
Author: Angeli, Danai Title: Demand in the Context of Trafficking in Human Beings in the Domestic Work Sector in Greece Summary: June 2016 DemandAT Country Study No.4 Summary Even though Greece counts as one of Europe's four main trafficking hubs and even though migrant domestic workers have been arriving in the country since the late 70s, these two storylines somehow fail to meet. According to the official figures, trafficking of human beings (THB) for domestic work is practically non -existent in Greece; and labour trafficking in general, is just a recent phenomenon. Addressing demand for cheap and exploitable workers becomes then a theoretical question. Migrant domestic workers themselves, however, have a very different story to tell about how they entered and stayed in the country, under what terms they found their work, what the expectations are and why they cannot leave. In most cases, these are stories of false promises, long working hours, small salaries and fear of coming forward. Lifting these cases out of their invisibility and understanding what are the factors shaping the demand in the context of THB in the domestic work sector is an important necessary step to open the debate on trafficking in domestic work in Greece. Details: Vienna: ICMPD, 2016. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: DemandAT Country Study No. 4: Accessed August 1, 2016 at: http://www.demandat.eu/sites/default/files/DemandAT_CountryStudies_4_Greece_Angeli.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Greece Keywords: Domestic Workers Shelf Number: 139916 |
Author: Antigone Title: Organized Crime and Juvenile Crime in Greek Society: a depiction of the reality Summary: The present paper has been prepared in autumn 2015 by "ANTIGONE - Information and Documentation Centre on Racism, Ecology, Peace and NonViolence" ( www.antigone.gr ) in the framework of the project "Waves of Citizenship, Waves of Legality" that is being funded by the Europe for citizens Programme of the European Union. This national research provides a general overview of two major issues in Greece: Organized crime and juvenile crime. In this regard, the presented information in this paper serves as a case study for Greece while containing both quantitative information (in terms of statistics on organized crime and juvenile crime) as well as qualitative information (in terms of interviews with key witnesses), together with some information on the Greek legal framework concerning these two aspects. Our report firstly presents statistical information about the current situation and continues with the countermeasures both taken by the Greek state through its legal system as well as at a grassroots level by NGOs. Furthermore, it examines what should be done from now on, on the part of public authorities and institutions in order to address both organized crime and juvenile crime more effectively. The aim of this survey is to identify detailed information about the current situation of juvenile and organized crime in Greece. Among them one can find data about: 1. the present reality of organized and juvenile crime in Greece including the socio-cultural backgrounds of young offenders, 2. the current legal position on organized and juvenile crime, 3. national and local programs and networks, which foster active citizenship and prevent and fight against organized and juvenile crime Although the initial aim was, through the present report, to try to establish a link between organized and juvenile crime in order to identify whether and how these two influence each other, however, all information gathered have not given crucial data in order to answer to questions such as: is there a higher rate of juvenile crime in geographical regions where organized crime is practiced? Which are the direct and indirect impacts of organized crime on youth? Which types of organized crime involve especially young people? As a result, the link between organized and juvenile crime has remained unclear and may be the subject of future researches. Details: Thessaloniki, Greece: Antigone, 2015. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 3, 2016 at: http://www.antigone.gr/files/projects/waves/Waves_Research%20paper_ANTIGONE_FINAL_20_11_2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Greece Keywords: Juvenile Crime Shelf Number: 140153 |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "Why Are You Keeping Me Here?" Unaccompanied Children Detained in Greece Summary: Greek authorities registered more than 3,300 unaccompanied asylum-seeking and other migrant children in the first seven months of 2016. Many had fled violence and conflict in their home countries such as Syria and Afghanistan and arrived alone in Greece, their point of entry to the European Union. The country's longstanding shortage of shelter space for children has grown particularly acute in the context of Europe's ongoing refugee crisis. In the absence of sufficient, suitable accommodation, Greek authorities routinely detain unaccompanied children in police stations and detention centers, justifying it as a temporary protection measure in children's best interest. In practice it is anything but. "Why Are You Keeping Me Here?:" Unaccompanied Children Detained in Greece, based on interviews with 42 children, documents the Greek authorities' arbitrary detention of unaccompanied children in unhygienic, degrading conditions in which they are vulnerable to physical abuse, as well as lack of access to care, protection, and other services. The situations documented not only violate children's right to liberty but often constitute inhumane and degrading treatment. The Greek government should put an end to the unjustified detention of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and ensure that there are sufficient and suitable alternatives to detention. The European Union should provide resources to support Greece's efforts. Greece and European Union member states should intensify efforts to relocate unaccompanied asylum-seeking children out of Greece including through family reunification with family members living in other EU countries. Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2016. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 14, 2016 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/greece0916_web.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Greece Keywords: Asylum Seekers Shelf Number: 140282 |
Author: Dedeloudis, Sotirios Title: Narrative Experience of Violent Offending in Greece Summary: Introduction: Violent offenders are a divergent population of offenders. There are various types of violent offending, such as subcultural violent offenders who perceive a righteousness of violence when protecting and maintaining their reputation. There are considerably few studies that relate the causation of crime and violence with emotions and narrative roles. Furthermore, it is documented that narratives are associated with issues that are considered within the realms of personality. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate how violent offenders' narratives, emotions, and their correlates with background and personality can shape their violent actions and to unfold violent offending patterns. Methodology: A total of 50 violent Greek offenders (41 males and 9 females), who were involved in hooligan/extreme political violent acts, with an age range of 18-63 participated in the study. These Greek participants had commit a wide variety of violent offences including robbery, gang fights and grievous bodily harm and were accused by the Greek court to be a part of a criminal organisation; of collective group violence. Participants who agreed to participate in this study were invited to fill a questionnaire that consisted of five sections (Description of Crime, Emotions Questionnaire, Narrative Roles Questionnaire, The Self-Report Offending Questionnaire and the HEXACO personality inventory). Results: Results revealed that emotions could be differentiated into four themes Elations, Calm, Distress and Depression in line with the circumplex structure of emotions postulated by Russell (1997) and narrative roles into Adventurer, Professional, Revenger and Victim. Furthermore, emotions themes and associated narrative roles themes were differentiated into four criminal narrative experience (CNE) themes namely Calm Professional, Elated Hero, Depressed Victim and Distressed Revenger. Interestingly, further analysis showed that Elated Hero was the most dominant theme for the violent offenders in the study contrasting previous findings (Ioannou, 2006). Significant associations between the CNE and background characteristics as well as personality traits were also demonstrated. Implications: The current study makes a significant contribution to knowledge supporting previous relevant studies. It was the first time that a theoretical framework of Criminal Narrative Experience was combined with personality and the first time that this was applied in a Greek population and exclusively with violent offenders that most had been involved in collective violence. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed as well as limitations and suggestions for future studies are described. Details: Huddersfield, UK: University of Huddersfield, 2016. 248p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 28, 2016 at: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.691359 Year: 2016 Country: Greece Keywords: Violence Shelf Number: 140478 |
Author: Vradis, Antonios Title: Patterns of contentious politics concentration as a 'spatial contract': a spatio-temporal study of urban riots and violent protest in the neighbourhood of Exarcheia, Athens, Greece (1974-2011) Summary: Existing studies of urban riots, violent protest and other instances of contentious politics in urban settings have largely tended to be either event- or time-specific in their scope. The present thesis offers a spatial reading of such politics of contention in the city of Athens, Greece. Tracing the pattern of the occurrence of these instances through time, the research scope of the thesis spans across Greece's post-dictatorial era (i.e. post-1974, the Greek Metapolitefsi), concluding shortly after the first loan agreement between the country's national government and the so-called 'troika' of lenders (IMF/ECB/EU). The thesis includes a critical overview of literature on riots in a historical and geographical context; questions on methodology and ethics in researching urban riots; a discourse analysis of violence concentration in Exarcheia; ethnographic accounts on everyday life in the neighbourhood and a 'rhythmanalysis' of the Exarcheia contention concentration during the period of research. Seeking to explain this concentration the thesis introduces the notion of the 'spatial contract': rather than signalling a type of discord, the concentration of mass violence in Exarcheia through time is hereby conceived as the spatial articulation of a certain form of consensus between Greek authorities and their subjects. In this way, the thesis places the concentration of urban violence in Exarcheia solidly within the social and political context of the country's post-dictatorial era. The thesis suggests that it would be beneficial for future human geographical research to trace such concentration patterns of urban riots. By exercising a cross-scale reading, it would then possible to place these and other forms of contentious politics within a social equilibrium that is far more complex and often much more consensual than it might appear to be. Details: London: London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), 2012. 312p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed October 15, 2016 at: http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3120/1/Vradis_Patterns_of_contentious_politics_concentration%20-.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Greece Keywords: Protest Movements Shelf Number: 140723 |
Author: Jeffray, Calum Title: On Tap Europe: Organised Crime and Illicit Trade in Greece: Country Report Summary: Organised crime in Greece has historically been presented as an external threat, and the country’s vast coastline is indeed vulnerable to small-scale smuggling of various illicit goods from overseas, while its two major ports are frequently targeted by smugglers. As a result, Greece is widely cited as a key entry point for illicit goods into Europe, with the majority of illicit trade occurring in the regions where the two biggest cities and ports – Athens and Thessaloniki – are located. Illicit trade is not seen as an isolated problem in Greece, but as part of a broader category of economic crimes. It is closely linked to tax evasion, corruption and fraud. However, specific information on the scale and the scope of illicit trade in Greece is limited and tends to be largely anecdotal, reflecting a lack of publicly available information on organised crime more broadly. Authorities suggest that the way in which criminals in Greece organise themselves has evolved from strict, hierarchical structures to a more flexible ‘enterprise model’ in which a network of smaller OCGs is established for a particular operation. Groups that smuggle goods tend to deal across multiple commodities, moving between products based on the profit that can be made at any one time, regardless of the risk. Some illicit markets seem to be growing: data show that legitimate tobacco and alcohol sales are both decreasing, but there has not been a similar reduction in consumer demand. This paper makes various key findings. First, the debt crisis that has affected Greece since 2008 has undeniably had an impact on local illicit markets, making the black market more attractive to some consumers and affecting the resources available to law enforcement authorities. Second, during this period of economic uncertainty, authorities have focused on tackling crimes that they believe have the biggest impact on state revenues, such as tax evasion, excise evasion, fraud, and bribery and corruption. Third, Greece has become an attractive hub for smuggling activity for various reasons, including its combination of remote and porous land borders and its long coastline, the scale of operations at the port of Piraeus, which makes monitoring the content of incoming containers a challenge, and because the country is in the Schengen Area, which means that the circulation of goods into the rest of Europe is relatively straightforward. Fourth, there is only limited information available on the scale and scope of organised crime activity, and of illicit trade in particular. Finally, identifying 'little and often' smuggling operations, whether by sea or by land, requires an excellent intelligence picture, which Greece has struggled to achieve. Details: London: Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, 2017. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Occasional Paper; On Tap Europe Series No. 3: Accessed February 24, 2017 at: https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/201702_op_on_tap_europe3_greece.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Greece Keywords: Corruption and Fraud Shelf Number: 141207 |
Author: Digidiki, Vasileia Title: Emergency Within An Emergency: The growing epidemic of sexual exploitation and abuse of migrant children in Greece Summary: The present study analyzes the risk factors responsible for the exposure of migrant and refugee children to physical, psychological, and sexual violence and exploitation in Greece in the context of the ongoing migrant humanitarian crisis. It documents sexual and physical abuse of children inside migrant camps and reports new information about the commercial sexual exploitation of migrant children in the main cities of Greece. This research also explores the existing gaps and challenges in intervention efforts that contribute to victimization of migrant children. This study was conducted using rapid assessment methodology, combining qualitative research with in situ observation. Data collection was completed in late November 2016 in four sites in Greece- namely, the islands of Lesvos and Chios and the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki. These areas were chosen because they host large migrant populations, facilities, and camps. The conclusions are based on 24 key informant and stakeholder interviews with on-site participants who work closely with migrant children and are thus qualified to comment on the conditions inside migrant facilities and camps. For ethical and security considerations, no direct interviews with migrant children or adults were conducted. This report highlights the following six major risk factors: (1) insufficient number of specialized facilities for children; (2) risky living conditions inside camps; (3) potentially hazardous and unsupervised commingling of migrant children with the adult migrant population; (4) weak and insufficiently resourced child protection systems; (5) lack of coordination and cooperation among responsible actors; and (6) an inefficient and radically inadequate relocation scheme. The report describes the context where migrant children are exposed to and become victims of physical, psychological, and sexual violence inside migrant facilities and camps in the studied geographic areas. In particular, it analyzes five key aspects related to the commercial sexual exploitation of migrant children: (1) prevalence of the phenomenon; (2) profile of the victims; (3) mechanisms of recruitment and victimization; (4) role of purchasers of migrant child sex; and (4) impact of the exploitation on the victims. Participants working with migrant children underscore the complex and multifaceted nature of the phenomenon and highlight the negative influence of institutional, legislative, individual, family, and societal factors and conditions that contribute to the endangerment of migrant children. On-site participants also identify a cascade of socio-psychological and mental health symptoms evidenced by affected migrant children; these symptoms correlate with the children's reduced resilience and increased vulnerability to re-victimization. On-site participants further confirm that the criminal nature of the phenomenon seriously impacts prevention efforts, resulting in numerous missed opportunities to provide an effective safety net for migrant children. State child protection systems, in particular, have far failed to adapt to the reality of the situation. Furthermore, the report analyses the significant gaps in both government and nongovernmental responses to the current child migrant situation. The results emphasize an immediate and urgent need for substantially improved child protection policy and practice, including recruiting and training qualified staff and improving coordination and case management. The report concludes with recommendations that address the complexity of the current humanitarian emergency. As a whole, the results call for flexible and well-informed prevention measures to address the many interconnected factors driving child migrant vulnerability. In view of the deterioration of the political climate for refugee and migrant populations in Europe and other parts of the world, national and international stakeholders should come together to ensure adequate prevention measures, as well as to create safe and legal paths to migration for migrant children in acute need of protection. This report is a first step towards documenting the many and severe risks faced by migrant children in Greece. The ultimate aim is to influence current policy towards migrant children in Greece and to pave the way for future research to better understand and eliminate sexual abuse and exploitation of migrant children caught up in this humanitarian crisis. Details: Cambridge, MA: FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University, 2017. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 20, 2017 at: https://cdn2.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/04/Emergency-Within-an-Emergency-FXB.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Greece Keywords: Child Sexual Abuse Shelf Number: 145058 |
Author: Oikonomou, Spyros-Vlad Title: Borderlines of Despair: First-line reception of asylum seekers at the Greek borders Summary: The implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement on March 20, 2016 (henceforth the "Statement"), coupled with the closure of the so-called "Balkan Route", led to a drastic decrease of the unprecedented refugee flows experienced throughout 2015 in the Eastern Mediterranean. It also led to the entrapment of more than 50,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Greece, and especially on the five main island points of entry: Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos. Shortly afterwards, on April 3, 2016, the Greek Parliament adopted Law 4375/2016 (henceforth L.4375/2016), introducing the "fast-track border procedure", which though providing less safeguards for asylum seekers and applicable only under exceptional circumstances, has been since used with a view to the Statement's implementation. In the same context, the "first country of asylum" and "safe third country" clauses, which formed part of previous legislation, were now used to implement the Statement, by making it possible to return ("readmission") to Turkey not only newly arrived (at the islands) "irregular migrants," but also asylum seekers and refugees whose asylum applications would thereafter be found "inadmissible", as per a clause that had never before been previously enforced. Cumulatively, these events marked a new chapter in the Greek/European management of Migration, with one of its defining characteristics being the gradual (re)institutionalization of the overall management of Greek-bound mixed migration flows. In the meanwhile, and within this state-led re-appropriation of border management, the newly established island Reception and Identification Centers (RICs), as well as the land border RIC of Evros (RIC at Fylakio, Evros), became the frontline structures for the reception and accommodation of foreign nationals/non-nationals fleeing persecution and/or destitution. The project In this context, the current project was aimed at assessing how (and if) some aspects of the reception of third-country nationals/non-nationals at the Greek borders evolved since the Statement's implementation in March 2016, and up to the research's conclusion in April 2018. The point of reference for this was the recast European Directive on the reception of applicants for international protection (Reception Directive), which though belatedly transposed into Greek legislation on the 15th of May 2018, still provides/provided for the absolute minimum standards for the reception of third country nationals/non-nationals applying for asylum in Europe, and therefore in Greece as well. The primary analytical lens, however, was that of the experiences to which asylum seekers have been subjected throughout their initial reception at the Greek borders, in the context of their RIC-based reception and accommodation. Therefore, the main underlying questions revolved around what happens when asylum seekers arrive in Greece, to what extent are their reception and accommodation (living conditions) in line with the imperative to respect and protect their decency and rights, and what are the effects of reception towards both their short and long-term well-being, as well as their relation with their new host society. In terms of methodology, the project was based on interviews with officials and/or other professionals engaged in the field of refugee protection, field research and desk-based research. Interviews and discussions were primarily carried out with GCR personnel at the borders and in Athens and Thessaloniki, and were complemented by some 38 additional interviews with state and other officials and employees working in the field. Desk research consisted primarily of reviewing GCR's internal and published reports, legal documents, as well as reports and articles published by intergovernmental, nongovernmental and other organizations and professionals. Field research, lastly, consisted of visiting a number of refugee reception sites (RICs) and Pre-Removal Centers, of which those found at the island border regions of Lesvos and Kos, the Greek-Turkish land border of Evros, as well as two makeshift accommodation sites/squats at the city-port of Patra will be examined in the current report. Details: Athens: Greek Council Refugees, 2018. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2018 at: www.gcr.gr Year: 2018 Country: Greece Keywords: Asylum Seekers Shelf Number: 150433 |
Author: Pro Asyl Title: Walls of Shame: Accounts from the Inside: The Detention Centres of Evros Summary: What we have observed in Evros area is a multilevel deterrence system implemented by the Greek police and Frontex. The detention of refugees and migrants in Evros is synonimous with brutality, despair and dehumanisation. In this case, calling an emergency of mass-immigration has given the Greek government and the EU an excuse for violating human dignity. Greece has been repeatedly criticised for its human rights violations, specifically for the appalling detention conditions for immigrants in the border region Evros. Following this harsh criticism, the Greek government declared its commitment to improve the asylum and reception system and therefore announced a national Action Plan 2010. However, so far there have been almost no improvements. Human rights violations continue. Details: Berlin: Pro Asyl, 2012. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 8, 2019 at: https://www.proasyl.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/PRO_ASYL_Report_Walls_of_Shame_Accounts_From_The_Inside_Detention_Centers_of_Evros_April_2012-1.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Greece Keywords: Detention Centers Shelf Number: 154885 |
Author: Greek Council for Refugees Title: Human Cargo. Arbitrary readmissions from the Italian sea ports to Greece Summary: Every year, thousands of refugees and migrants hide in passenger ships, traveling in high-speed inflatable boats or in any other maritime transport, in an attempt, to cross the Adriatic Sea. These crossborder movements on this internal EU-border, in most of the cases, concern people in need of international protection. These people are trying to escape from Greece, their first European country of entry, which has been condemned by the European Court of Human rights (ECHtR) in the case of MSS v Belgium and Greece as not being safe for people in need of international protection. Apparently, the research findings clearly indicate that in the majority, people in need of international protection and unaccompanied minors who are detected and apprehended in the Italian ports and in the southern coasts of Italy, are either refused entry to the Italian territory or are readmitted back to Greece, without being granted any access to international protection, to any sort of registration of their claim, identification and individual evaluation of their case and/or vulnerability. Details: Frankfurt, Germany: Pro Asyl, 2012. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2019 at: https://www.proasyl.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/PRO_ASYL_Report_Human_Cargo_Arbitrary_Readmissions_from_Italy_to_Greece_July_2013.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Greece Keywords: Asylum Seekers Shelf Number: 155008 |
Author: Greek Council for Refugees Title: "I Came Here for Peace": The systematic ill-treatment of migrants and refugees by state agents in Patras Summary: As we document in the following report, state officials systematically ill-treat refugees and migrants in Patras. Throughout the past 15 years hundreds of migrants and refugees (undocumented or not) have been living in Patras in improvised shelters seeking to stow away on ferries bound for Italy. This report contains numerous allegations of the ill-treatment of migrants and refugees by police and other officials. Details: Frankfurt, Germany: Pro Asyl, 2012. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 18, 2019 at: https://www.proasyl.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/PRO_ASYL_Report_I_came_here_for_peace_Patras_June_2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Greece Keywords: Hate Crimes Shelf Number: 155009 |
Author: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Title: Racist Violence Recording Network: Annual Report 2018 Summary: This annual report analyses findings of racist violence and hate crime across Greece in 2018, recorded by the 46 organizations participating in the Network. From January to December 2018, the RVRN documented, through interviews with victims, 117 incidents of racist violence, with more than 130 victims. In 74 incidents the victims were migrants or refugees on grounds of ethnic origin, religion, colour, associations of third country nationals, human rights defenders due to their connection with refugees and migrants, as well as a memorial to the victims of shipwrecks. In six (6) incidents, Greek citizens were targeted due to their colour, foreign or ethnic origin. In nine (9) incidents, the targets were Jewish sacred or symbolic places and the Jewish community and in one (1) incident the target was a Greek citizen due to educational activity against anti-Semitism or perceived religion. In 27 incidents the targets were LGBTQI+ persons, including five (5) refugees, asylum-seekers and EU citizens. In 59 incidents more than one victim was targeted, whereas in 63 incidents the assault was committed by a group of at least two people. Details: Geneva: UNHCR, 2019. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 1, 2019 at: https://www.unhcr.org/gr/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/RVRN_report_2018en.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Greece Keywords: Bias Crimes Shelf Number: 155588 |
Author: Fotou, Eleni Title: From Criminals to Terrorists and Back?: Quarterly Report: Greece Summary: In Greece, where terrorism offenses do not follow the current European radicalisation trends, thus being one of the outliers, the links between crime and terror are more clearly evident. Furthermore, the arrestees that have been analysed so far in this project are either Greek citizens or persons with legal permanent residency in the country. Contrary to most global terror trends, religion is not a radicalising factor in Greek terrorism. Following historical precedent, the current active terrorist groups have a far-left or even nihilist ideology. The data analysed so far clearly depict a crime-terror nexus in Greece, with more than 75% of the examined arrestees having served prison time for offenses that are unrelated to terrorism or participation in organised crime. The most frequent offenses present were theft and robbery charges, ranging from misdemeanour to felony offenses. Another phenomenon that could be observed is the fact that Korydallos Prison seems to be the hub where the offenders arrested for the first time for terrorism offenses were recruited. Moreover, the convicts recruited had specific skillsets that could aid the financing of a terrorist organisation. Finally, women seem to have a more active role, expressed through manifestos and radicalised speech and linked with convicted offenders for terrorism acts either through conjugal or familial bonds. The terrorism phenomenon in Greece has several distinctions from other European nations. First, there are terrorist groups that have spanned decades in operation, terrorist organisations with numerous attacks (ELA alone has more than 260 confirmed attacks), ranging from bombings to targeted assassinations. Second, a common element among the groups appears to be a far-left ideology that from the middle of the 2000s seems to shift towards a more anarchist/nihilist theoretical framework. Finally, apart from targeted assassinations, historically and currently, the terrorist attacks are planned in such a manner as to minimize the possibility for human casualty, focusing instead on political targets and persons. Details: Bratislava, Slovak Republic: GLOBESEC Policy Institute, 2019. 7p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 20, 2019 at: https://www.globsec.org/publications/criminals-terrorists-report-2018-greece/ Year: 2018 Country: Greece Keywords: Counter-Terrorism Shelf Number: 155915 |