Etudes par pays volume 2, PDF, 346 p., 1,4 Mo - Femise

11873_2002 Study D2: Poverty, Informal Sector, Health and Labour
The increasing flow of immigrants in Greece has accumulated a
disproportional number of foreign workers compared to the native
workforce. This is particularly the case in certain depopulated and small
areas of the country, e.g. islands. This concentration, although economically
desirable, generates various cultural, religious and educational problems that
may have potential serious implications on policies that aim at social
inclusion and the strengthening of social cohesion (EC, 2002). The
Commission has stressed that ‘’failure to develop an inclusive and tolerant
society which enables different ethnic minorities to live in harmony with the
local population of which they form part leads to discrimination, social
exclusion and the rise of racism and xenophobia’’ (ibid. p. 23).
Crime: Although overall criminal activity has dropped substantially in the
very recent years, juvenile crime, e.g. robberies, body injuries and theft is in
the rising in the large cities. Drugs are only a limited cause of this increase
Youth with low education coming from unstable family environments and
poor city neighbourhoods are mainly the criminal offenders. Organized
crime has no deep roots in Greece and there is no network to operate
through. Corruption exists in various departments of the Greek
administration, some forms of which, such as trafficking of illegal
immigrants and women for the purpose of prostitution, are connected to
international networks. And yet, the knowledge concerning the extent of the
various forms of corruption is still scanty, since there is no comprehensive
study on the issue but only bits and pieces of evidence and popular belief.
Efforts for fighting crime come from various directions, namely the EU;
international cooperation; bilateral agreements between Greece and Central
and Eastern European countries; and at the national level, the Greek
legislation and the Greek police. Policies concern both the prevention of
crime and the apprehension of criminals. Preventive measures with
reference to youth are taken by the Ministry of Justice, while for the
population as a whole, new police practices are introduced, including
pedestrian police patrols and the ‘’neighbourhood policeman’’. The latter, in
cooperation with local authorities, various local bodies and the citizens has
the job of preventing light crimes and provide relief assistance to victims.
The experience is still short to have any solid information on the
effectiveness of these practices. The legalization of immigrants seems also
to play some positive role in containing their criminal activity.
Some important policy actions concern as much the courts, as the police and
the prison system, all of which are characterized by major inefficiencies and
need adjustment and reformation. Legal regulations have become recently
FONDAZIONE CENSIS
171