Around 1,500 foreign children are under the care of the state, according to what the Director-General of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Mr. Giannis Nikolaides, stated before the parliamentary Internal Affairs Committee.
He referred to a group of 334 children, of which 220 are in foster care.
Another 28 children are in “semi-independent living,” while the remaining children are in institutions.
The second group consists of 1,200 children under the legal care of the state.
Out of these, 108 live in state or private residences, 5-10 children per residence.
Another 267 are under the an independent living status through non-governmental organizations, while 261 children live with relatives in Cyprus.
128 children are in foster families, and 241 are in hotels.
Additionally, 196 children reside in the Pournara reception center, from where they will leave soon.
“All these children are our children,” stated Mr. Nikolaides, and he added that the government is obligated to implement a policy of their integration.
As he explained, if they are not integrated, when they come of age, more problems will arise, which will have to be managed not only by the state but also by society.
We can no longer have large numbers of children concentrated because this no longer works, said Mr. Nikolaides.
Finally, he mentioned that these children should live in places close to health services, schools, have access to transportation, cafes, entertainment areas, etc.
