Most of them were Afghan, but there were also several Syrians and a few Egyptians. Older men, who weren’t refugees, were prowling around them like pimps.



Some of these older men were in cars and would stop to talk to the boys. I didn’t see any transactions made with my own eyes, but it was clear that there was prostitution going on between the refugees and the locals in the park.





Photo posted on Khatija Sacranie’s Facebook page.

With Ali, our Syrian photographer and guide. We are in Victoria Square in the centre of Athens. This is a generation lost. Stuck in no mans land. Can't go forward. Can't go back. The youth. Lost boys. Minors still, some alone, some abandoned, some having fallen through the regulatory cracks. Young boys, like my nephews, like my cousins. We witnessed pimps, men on the prowl, ready to take advantage, ready to exploit. The common statements from these boys. "If you want to help us, send us back home. Send us back to Syria".

"Help us. Let us work. Give us something that we can do, somewhere we can work."



“Two or three with the same syringe”



Syringes and spoons, which are used to consume heroin, are scattered in Park Pedion tou Areos. This photo was posted on Facebook by a page dedicated to the park

A local posted this photo on a Facebook page about old buildings in the neighbourhood.

Khatija Sacranie, who is British, works for the humanitarian organisation Goodwill Caravan . Several months ago, she saw about a group of about a dozen adolescent boys congregated on Place Victoria.Khatija Sacranie posted this message on Facebook after seeing what was happening in Place Victoria.Soon caught up in a violent night life, these young people start to use drugs. Very soon, they are enmeshed in a vicious circle that it is hard to break free from.“The most dangerous aspect is that, sometimes, two or three of them use the same syringe. If one of them has AIDS, the others risk becoming infected. They also drink a lot of alcohol. For them, life no longer has any sense or meaning. Three weeks ago, a young refugee died after overdosing. Sadly, there are many such cases,” explains Ali A.This explosive cocktail comes together on Filis Street, which is right next to Victoria Square. For the past few decades, it’s been one of the hubs of prostitution and drug trade in Athens. There, you can find Sami’s Bar, which is known as a place where gay hook-ups between young foreigners and older Greek men are orchestrated.The building is in a poor state and seems to be deserted. The local resident who posted this photo on Facebook even claimed that his image showed an abandoned bar. However, according to several locals contacted by FRANCE 24, the rooms in Sami’s bar that are decorated in a Middle Eastern style are full from Wednesday through Saturday.The locals who spoke with FRANCE 24 also said that young migrants continue to come to the bar looking for transactions.“Crowd: Mostly young middle eastern [sic] men looking for older men. Some times [sic] you may find go-go boys,” reports a website listing gay-friendly addresses in Athens.Our Observer Ali has heard of this bar that serves as a meeting place for the young migrants and their clients. However, he maintains that most of these meetings occur either in parks or other bars in the city.“What are the police doing?" he asks. "They are trying to address this issue, but they need a place to house all these young people. They need to organise some kind of reception centre for them, even if that means putting them in prison. But there is just no place for refugees.”