| Description |
Unaccompanied minors (UM) coming to Europe form an especially vulnerable group of migrant children, traveling without their parents or other adults exercising authority over them. In many European countries, asking for international protection is the main way for them to receive accommodation and a residence permit. However, minors coming from so-called safe countries, where in general there is no (fear of) persecution (e.g. Morocco, and in the Netherlands until June 2021 Algeria) have little or no chance of receiving a residence permit. Some of these mostly North African youngsters travel from one European country to another, in search of opportunities to work and earn money. The aim of this study was to learn more about the background of this group of minors, and gain knowledge about the experiences of other European countries with this specific group of minors.
The general aims of this study were:
to paint a picture of the nomadic existence of UMs with (multiple) problems in Europe;
to investigate the underlying reasons of their nomadic behaviour and the (multiple)problems they have; and
to explore the type of (policy) measures that are taken regarding the supervision and care of this group in other European countries.
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