Greece

In Greece, migrant Roma women from Albania who give birth in hospitals and are unable to pay hospital fees have been barred from getting identity documentation for their child or leaving the hospital until they pay. The birth certificates they are issued have missing information, if they are issued one at all. This poses issues when women return to Albania to have their children naturalized. Additionally, undocumented Roma women who give birth have been prevented from leaving the hospital with their children because of their lack of identity documents, leading to family separation. There was an order for free legal aid to be given to undocumented low-income women to address these issues. In 2022, the CRC recommended that Greece do more to make birth registration accessible, and to correct Roma and migrant children’s birth certificates free of charge.