The deputy ministry for social welfare is searching for permanent solutions for housing unaccompanied minors.

Deputy Minister Marilena Evangelou told the House committee on human rights on Monday that meetings were being held with local authorities to find shelters and that housing the minors at OAP homes was a temporary emergency solution.

What we are looking for, she said, are family-centred places to house small numbers of minors.

The House committee discussed the matter ex officio, in the light of recent incidents, including teen girls arrested in Limassol and teen boys smashing windows at an OAP home in Larnaca.

Evangelou told the committee that the aim was to find suitable accommodation for the minors.

She said there were over 1,000 unaccompanied minors in Cyprus, most of whom were from Syria, which is considered a warzone. There were also 237 children in foster care, 32 in semi-independent structures and 92 in shelters.

Replying to questions, Evangelou said most of the unaccompanied minors were very young.

She added it was necessary for the local authorities to cooperate, as most of the problems in finding accommodation were due to resistance in accepting the shelters.

The representative of the commissioner for human rights said the negative rhetoric around unaccompanied minors needed to change, a position Evangelou agreed with.

Evangelou said delinquent behaviour did not characterise the majority of children and that most of them adapted to the programmes, did well at school and also produced art.

Chairwoman of the committee Irene Charalambidou suggested an art exhibition at the House may help shift public focus onto the positive aspect of unaccompanied minors.

Evangelou said efforts to house the minors included finding compatriot foster families and relocating to EU countries.

So far, she said, 25 minors have been relocated to Germany as part of a pilot programme, while other countries have agreed to take unaccompanied minors in, as long as the German programme is deemed a success.

The issue of closed structures was also discussed, with questions raised whether this was legitimate.

Evangelou said closed structures did not mean a prison, but a place to heal.

Commissioner for the protection of children’s rights Despo Michaelidou Livaniou pointed out that this needed to be examined thoroughly before being proposed, including the aspects of rehabilitation and reentry.