Deputy minister of social welfare, Anastasia Anthousi, said on Wednesday that 150 unaccompanied minors who are currently at the Pournara facility would be moved to accommodation in the Famagusta area.
According Anthousi, following the decisions of the meeting held last Monday under the president on the on issues being faced in Pournara and damning reports on the conditions there, the cabinet on Wednesday approved the transfer of 150 minors.
Today the council of ministers has approved the provision of accommodation in the free areas of Famagusta, where the 150 unaccompanied minors, who have not fully completed their procedures that is, some procedures such as age assessment are to be transferred immediately, so that the procedures can be completed there” the minister said.
At the same time, she said the government will ask for expressions of interest for staffing at the new accommodation so that the minors can be afforded the necessary care.
Anthousi said that within the next few hours or even tomorrow, meetings will be held with all involved services and departments in order to arrange the smooth transportation of the minors at the beginning of next week.
Pournara hit the headlines over the past week over the living conditions especially for unaccompanied minors there, prompting a visit to the facility by President Nicos Anastasiades, which was followed by a high-level meeting that decided on a series of steps to ease overcrowding of both the adult population and of unaccompanied minors.
His visit came days after dozens of minors had left the centre and camped near a church in Nicosia to protest over living conditions.
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