"It’s really filthy. There are bare electrical wires sticking out of the ceiling… They have to reach out through bars to receive their food. This is not normal in Europe," an anonymous volunteer told The Independent.
According to the newspaper, the children in detention are provided with only a single meal a day, not allowed to go outside and are supposed to be handcuffed while they are being moved to a different location.
The newspaper recalled that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been warning the Greek government and local authorities about the poor conditions it has encountered since it developed a presence on the island in May. After news of the plight of unaccompanied refugee children on Kos emerged, it reached an agreement with the local authorities for such children to be placed in the care of an UN-funded NGO.
Over half a million people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea into peripheral European countries since the beginning of the year, according to UN estimates.
Earlier this month, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) registered a surge in the number of migrants coming ashore in Greece, with some 7,000 daily arrivals estimated during the first week of October.
On Monday, the UN refugee agency urged the European Union to provide massive support to Greece in managing its response to the refugee crisis.
