"UNICEF calls for a well-managed process to be put in place to determine each child’s best interests and fulfill the basic needs of all children — including adequate accommodation, health care and protection against trafficking and exploitation in line with international and European laws," the release stated.
"Any decision about any child, whether a toddler or a teenager, whether with family or not, should be guided by the best interests of that child," UNICEF’s Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe Marie-Pierre Poirier said.
UNICEF noted it is monitoring the return of refugees from Greece to Turkey under a recently approved agreement between Ankara and the European Union. The agreement exempts unaccompanied and separated children, children with disabilities, pregnant women and women who recently gave birth.