On the mainland, MSF successfully advocated for the introduction of a new regulation that undocumented mothers to officially recognise their new-borns. With the experience in Evros, MSF lobbied the Greek Supreme Court regarding the identification of family links, which was previously done through DNA tests for family links even when formal documents existed. This intervention has produced positive results and led, in some instances, to the release of children separated from their families, as well as a less restrictive interpretation of the law on the part of authorities. Another initiative called on the Office of the Ombudsman to carefully look at the unclear process of age assessment, which has led many minors to being incorrectly detained. MSF piloted the ‘Expert-by-Experience’ advocacy project at the Victims of Torture Rehabilitation Clinic in Athens. The aims of the project were to help torture survivors play a more active role in shaping the decisions that impact them directly and to offer survivors the means to regain a sense of control and dignity. Survivors enrolled in the project were given the opportunity to form groups and to speak out to challenge the public and media preconceptions of survivors of torture. At the case-management level, throughout Greece, MSF teams advocated for patients’ access to services, including the provision of social security numbers, accommodation solutions for very vulnerable people and referrals to specialised care, hospitalisation and other services. © Anna Pantelia
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