Unaccompanied minors

The number of migrant children, including unac- companied minors, registered as present in the European Union (EU) rose between 2020 and 2021, then went on to rise significantly between 2021 and 2022. According to Eurostat, the 27 EU Member States (EU-27) and Norway1 received over 518 000 first time asylum applications from children under 18 years of age and 79 000 asylum applications from applicants considered unaccompanied minors in 2020-2022.3 This included 13 620 unaccompanied minor applicants in 2020, 25 290 in 2021, with a large jump to 40 175 in 2022. Not all unaccompanied minors arriving in the EU apply for asylum or are beneficiaries of temporary protection. Data are not collected systematically across the EU on those children who do not apply for, or benefit from, either regime and it is difficult to give a total number of those involved. However, unaccompanied children registered by child protection services can help to fill in the gaps in many EU countries (see Table 1). With increasing numbers of migrant children arriving in Europe and children’s rights on the agenda of different EU and national institutions, including as part of the negotiations of the new Pact on Migration and Asylum,4 the protection of children in migration remained an area of considerable development in legislation and policy throughout 2021-2022, at both EU and national level. Several EU Member States reported introducing policies and practices to better identify children in migration procedures, as well as detect and address any additional vulnerabilities they may have. Six EU Member States and Norway implemented meas- ures to safeguard vulnerable groups in reception centres in 20216 or 2022,7 while three others increased the provision of special accommodation places for families or unaccompanied minors. New alternative (non-institution- al) care options for unaccompanied children, particularly family-based care/care families, were introduced or improved by four Member States in 2021, and by Norway in 2022. In 2022, several EU Member States reported overall pres- sures on reception systems, which affected places for chil- dren, and/or higher numbers of unaccompanied children arriving, which impacted reception facilities generally. New provisions to strengthen guardianship systems were introduced, and the group of minors eligible for a care order or a guardian allocation was expanded during the reporting period. Procedural safeguards were strengthened in several Member States, including to ensure that the best interests of the child were examined in different procedures,15 or by including additional safeguards in procedures specifically for children. A majority of EU Member States started new initiatives to support unaccompanied minors transitioning to adult- hood, mostly in the areas of employment, education and accommodation

The overall objective of this project is to contribute towards the enhancement of the quality of guardianship and harmonization and standardization of the overall assistance and care provided to unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UAMAS) in Central European countries in line with the EU Action Plan on Unaccompanied Minors, the relevant EU directives and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Since early 2015, the media continuously confront us with images of refugee children drowning in the Mediterranean, surviving in appalling conditions in camps or walking across Europe. Within this group of fleeing children, a considerable number is travelling without parents, the unaccompanied refugee minors. While the media images testify to these flight experiences and their possible huge impact on unaccompanied minors’ wellbeing, there has been no systematic research to fully capture these experiences, nor their mental health impact. Equally, no evidence exists on whether the emotional impact of these flight experiences should be differentiated from the impact of the traumatic events these minors endured in their home country or from the daily stressors in the country of settlement. This project aims to fundamentally increase our knowledge of the impact of experiences during the flight in relation to past trauma and current stressors. To achieve this aim, it is essential to set up a longitudinal follow-up of a large group of unaccompanied refugee minors, whereby our study starts from different transit countries, crosses several European countries, and uses innovative methodological and mixed-methods approaches. I will hereby not only document the psychological impact these flight experiences may have, but also the way in which care and reception structures for unaccompanied minors in both transit and settlement countries can contribute to reducing this mental health impact. This proposal will fundamentally change the field of migration studies, by introducing a whole new area of study and novel methodological approaches to study these themes. Moreover, other fields, such as trauma studies, will be directly informed by the project, as also clinical, educational and social work interventions for victims of multiple trauma. Last, the findings on the impact of reception and care structures will be highly informative for policy makers and practitioners.

Since early 2015, the media continuously confront us with images of refugee children drowning in the Mediterranean, surviving in appalling conditions in camps or walking across Europe. Within this group of fleeing children, a considerable number is travelling without parents, the unaccompanied refugee minors. While the media images testify to these flight experiences and their possible huge impact on unaccompanied minors’ wellbeing, there has been no systematic research to fully capture these experiences, nor their mental health impact. Equally, no evidence exists on whether the emotional impact of these flight experiences should be differentiated from the impact of the traumatic events these minors endured in their home country or from the daily stressors in the country of settlement. This project aims to fundamentally increase our knowledge of the impact of experiences during the flight in relation to past trauma and current stressors. To achieve this aim, it is essential to set up a longitudinal follow-up of a large group of unaccompanied refugee minors, whereby our study starts from different transit countries, crosses several European countries, and uses innovative methodological and mixed-methods approaches. I will hereby not only document the psychological impact these flight experiences may have, but also the way in which care and reception structures for unaccompanied minors in both transit and settlement countries can contribute to reducing this mental health impact. This proposal will fundamentally change the field of migration studies, by introducing a whole new area of study and novel methodological approaches to study these themes. Moreover, other fields, such as trauma studies, will be directly informed by the project, as also clinical, educational and social work interventions for victims of multiple trauma. Last, the findings on the impact of reception and care structures will be highly informative for policy makers and practitioners.

In recent years changes in Hungarian citizenship policy and legislation have aroused public interest. The efforts of the Hungarian government to facilitate the naturalisation of ethnic Hungarians particularly encountered esistance from neighbouring countries,1 and was also viewed critically by some scholars.2 At the same time, the issue of unaccompanied minors has been high on the political agenda in EU Member States, including Hungary. Various EU institutions and bodies have commissioned studies and reports to analyse the situation in the European Union3 and an Action Plan was launched in order to ensure greater coherence and cooperation and to improve the protection offered to this vulnerable group.4 Nevertheless, a group of unaccompanied minor children, who do not fit into the traditional definition of unaccompanied minors in Europe, has been neglected. These children were born in Hungary of a foreign national, but of a Hungarian speaking and presumably ethnic Hungarian mother who subsequently abandoned the child in hospital shortly after birth. Despite liberal citizenship policy and an existing legal framework for the protection of unaccompanied minors, these children do not, for various reasons, obtain any nationality at or after birth and remain in a legal limbo for many months or even years. The aim of this paper is to explore the legal situation of these children in three areas: citizenship, immigration status and reception and care, and to analyse to what extent the current practices of the Guardianship Office and the Office of Immigration and Nationality is in compliance with Hungary’s international legal obligations, with Community law and, indeed, with domestic law. Particular attention will be paid to the obligations of Hungary as set out in the Convention of the Rights of the Child, the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. As an unclear citizenship status constitutes the main reason for their peculiar situation, we will also look at the possibility of granting Hungarian citizenship or stateless status.

Was konstituiert und kennzeichnet Minder- und Volljährigkeit bei Geflüchteten? Wie macht das Alter bei ihnen einen (aufenthalts-)rechtlichen, politischen und affektiven Unterschied? Diesen beiden Hauptfragen gehen wir in unserem Projekt nach. Es gibt immer wieder heftige öffentliche Debatten zum Alter von Flüchtlingen und zu rechtsmedizinischen Altersschätzungspraktiken, bei denen u.a. Röntgenaufnahmen von Schlüsselbeinen herangezogen und die Genitalien der Jugendlichen inspiziert werden. Denn unbegleitete minderjährige Flüchtlinge haben andere Rechte als erwachsene Geflüchtete: sie haben Anspruch auf einen Platz in einer Jugendwohnung, einen Sprachkurs und schulische Ausbildung. Zugleich müssen sie den Vorgaben pädagogischer Betreuung und denen von Vormündern folgen. Vor allem haben sie andere Möglichkeiten, ihr Bleiben in Deutschland zu organisieren. So ist es beinahe unmöglich, sie abzuschieben. Im Zentrum unserer Untersuchung stehen folgende Dimensionen:1) Klassifikationsprozesse, d.h. die Hervorbringung und Ausprägung der Differenzkategorie Alter in Praktiken der Altersfestsetzung; 2) die Wirkmächtigkeit dieser Klassifikationen, d.h. altersspezifische Zugehörigkeiten, Rechte, Möglichkeiten und Einschränkungen von jungen Flüchtlingen mit dem Status "unbegleitete Minderjährige". Zur Umsetzung unserer Forschungsfragen ist eine ethnographische Langzeitstudie vorgesehen. Darin führen wir an allen wichtigen Stationen des Ankommens von jungen Geflüchteten teilnehmende Beobachtungen durch und interviewen die zentralen Akteure der verschiedenen Verfahren. Hierzu zählen die Erstaufnahme ebenso wie jugendamtliche, pädagogische und rechtsmedizinische Praktiken der Altersschätzung sowie daran geknüpfte Widerspruchsprozesse. Schließlich sollen auch Asylanhörungen beim Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge in den Blick genommen werden.Grundlegend für die oben aufgeführten Untersuchungsdimensionen ist unser Verständnis der Differenzkategorie Alter als kontingent, situativ und abhängig von spezifischen Praktiken der Hervorbringung. So können wir erforschen, welche Elemente in medizinischen, pädagogischen und bürokratischen Praxen (ir)relevant und entscheidend werden, wenn es um die Frage geht: ist ein Flüchtling minderjährig? Die Wirkmächtigkeit dieser Klassifikation untersuchen wir mit unserem Konzept von politischer Subjektivität, was sowohl Rechte und Handlungsspielräume als auch affektive Zugehörigkeit zusammen denk- und untersuchbar macht.Durch diese erste ethnographische Analyse der Hervorbringung und Wirkmächtigkeit von Alter im Migrationszusammenhang entwickelt das Projekt neue Ansatzpunkte für eine kritische Intervention in den dominanten öffentlichen Diskurs zur Altersschätzung bei jungen Flüchtlingen. Unser Projekt leistet einen theoretischen und empirischen Beitrag an der Schnittstelle von Medizinanthropologie, Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung (STS), Studien zu Flucht und Migration und der Kindheits- und Jugendforschung.

This study presents policies, practices and statistics on unaccompanied minor asylum seekers from arrival until settlement or return. It is a contribution to a comparative study by the European Migration Network.

According to Eurostat, 2015 saw 90,000 unaccompanied minor asylum seekers register in the EU. Refugee children pose considerable policy challenges: their integration in Europe is of utmost importance. Studies show that while refugee children have IT competences, they lack the ability to make critical media choices, and make informed decisions regarding their well-being. This project builds on the IT knowledge of young refugees in order to further their integration by developing media literacy pedagogic tools. Media literacy education is essential for empowering citizenship, for gaining skills to become drivers of economic growth, and not least to prevent radicalization. Media literacy, a necessary aspect of lifelong learning, enables young people to participate civically, to overcome disadvantage and to represent marginalized and missing voices. For developing these pedagogic tools, the Fellow will first research how unaccompanied minor refugees use digital technology and social media through fieldwork carried out in 3 EU countries. In the second research phase, the Fellow will conduct participatory action research (PAR) in collaboration with an NGO which specializes in PAR with refugee youth. These results will be used to design teaching materials for youth workers and teachers. The project is unique because it brings together the disciplines of education, media literacy and migration studies for offering solutions to a matter of pressing urgency: the integration of unaccompanied minor refugees. This project will serve to widen the professional horizon of the Fellow. She will acquire specific research skills (digital ethnography, participant action research, educational tools design) and transferable skills (PhD supervision, leadership, editorial skills, managing large-scale events). The project will lay the foundations for the Fellow's long-term career goals, and she will be propelled to the forefront of media literacy research.

The project “In whose best interest? Exploring Unaccompanied Minors’ Rights Through the Lens of Migration and Asylum Procedures (MinAs)” is a research project carried out in four European countries (Slovenia, Austria, France and United Kingdom) in the period from June 2014 to December 2015. European Commission finances the project and its main aim is to identify and recommend better procedures and protection measures for unaccompanied minors (UAM). The project examines UAMs’ reception, protection, asylum and return procedures and focuses on: 1. The concept of best interests of the child (BIC). 2. The formal processes of best interests determination (BID). The project looks at both concepts in the actual legal framework for UAM in reception, protection, asylum and return procedures in the four EU countries. Many European countries have not yet introduced best interests determination procedures into their national legislation for UAM. In these cases, lack of appropriate safeguards for UAM are most likely to be identified, leaving the possibility of (too) flexible interpretation of the child’s best interests, which in some cases may be subjected to nationalist, xenophobic and racist discourse. In order to contribute to fulfilling the national obligations set out by international law, as well as following the aims of the European Commission, the project analyses the practical, philosophical and phenomenological dimensions of the best interests of the child, which will enable a deeper understanding of the best interests of children as well providing a solid basis for proper implementation of the principle in practice.

The legal framework in Luxembourg does not provide a specific legal status for unaccompanied minors (hereafter UAM), which is why the large majority of them apply for international protection. This allows them to stay in the country and to benefit from social and legal assistance, as well as from accommodation. Cases of UAMs presumed or identified victims of human trafficking are rare in Luxembourg. Overall, specific legal frameworks exist according to the status of the UAM: The Law on Asylum, the Law on Immigration and the Law on victims of trafficking in human beings. This framework is completed by general provisions of the Youth Protection Law, which applies to all minors independent of their immigration or legal status. Until the influx of applicants for international protection in 2015 and 2016, the phenomenon of unaccompanied minors has been relatively small in Luxembourg. Particularly 2015 was marked by a high number of UAMs applying for international protection, with 102 introductions of applications compared to 31 applications in 2014. Since, the number of applications has stabilised over the last two years, with 51 applications in 2016 and 50 applications in 2017. In 2015, Afghanistan and Albania were the leading countries of origin of UAMs. In 2016, Afghanistan was still the leading country of origin, followed by Morocco. In 2017, the profiles of the UAMs changed again, with Albania and Morocco as leading countries of origin. In Luxembourg, UAMs are predominantly boys and a large majority is close to the age of majority, or have already reached the age of majority, when a final decision on their application for international protection is issued. However, the Directorate of Immigration reported that they were confronted with a new phenomenon in 2017, namely the arrival of very young UAMs aged between 12 and 14. Every UAM, whether s/he files an application for international protection or not, will be assigned an ad-hoc administrator as soon as possible in order to assist him/her in all legal proceedings. In addition to the designation of an ad-hoc administrator, the organisations that accommodate the UAMs applying for international protection usually request the guardianship (either institutional or personal guardianship) of the UAM who has introduced his application. Different from the ad-hoc administrator, the guardian is assisting and supporting the UAM in all daily life affairs, such as social guidance, integration, education, medical care, acquisition of language skills, leisure activities, etc. In regard to education, the overall aim in Luxembourg is to integrate migrant children, independent of their immigration status, into the general educational system as soon as possible. The latter has experienced a diversification of its offer with a number of specialised measures and services. Together with leisure and extracurricular activities, school is considered to be one of the main contributors to the overall well-being and integration of UAMs into the Luxembourgish society. There are no integration measures that specifically target UAMs. There are no specific transition measures or procedures for UAMs who are approaching their majority, neither in regard to the accommodation and guardianship arrangements, nor in the general context of integration. The organisations responsible for the accommodation and care of the UAMs provide them with a supervision and support according to their specific individual needs. This is also true for the respective legal framework of the UAM, including eventual extensions of residence permits. The return of UAMs is considered to be rare in the Luxembourgish context. As mentioned earlier, this is related to the fact that the large majority of UAMs applying for international protection are close to the age of majority or have already reached majority when a final decision on their application is issued. Furthermore, although foreseen by the Immigration Law, Luxembourg does not carry out forced returns of persons considered to be unaccompanied minors. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), responsible for (assisted) voluntary returns, reported that they have approximately one voluntary return of an UAM every two years. In 2017, following the recommendation of the evaluation of the Schengen acquis in the area of return in Luxembourg, the government adopted the creation of a new commission with the function of assessing the best interest of the child in the context of return of UAMs. This commission entered into force at the beginning of 2018 and is composed of members of the prosecution service, the National Childhood Office (ONE), the Luxembourg Reception and Integration Agency (OLAI), and finally the Directorate of Immigration, which is chairing the commission. In addition, the ad-hoc administrator is invited to attend the commission meeting for the minor s/he represents. Based on the elements of his/her application, an individual opinion assessing the best interest of the child, in the context of his/her return, will be given for each minor. One of the major reported challenges is the appointment of legal representatives of UAMs (ad-hoc administrator and guardian), as well as the lack of precision of the legal provisions in this context. In the context of return, the Directorate of Immigration reported that they are faced with challenges in regard to getting in contact with the respective countries of origin as well as in regard to cases of applicants not telling the truth. One of the main good practices that has been identified by a number of stakeholders are the new care and accommodation arrangements, allowing to house UAMs in specifically dedicated reception facilities with a 24/7 supervision, depending on the availability of these facilities. In the same context, it was reported that it is of great importance to provide the minors with an environment of trust and support, to listen to them and to reassure them in order to be able to understand their current situation. Particularly the approach of supporting them in elaborating a life plan or life project (“projet de vie”) is considered as being very important for the stability and general well-being as well as for the integration of the UAMs. In addition, it is also important to support them in other matters of integration, such as education, acquisition of language skills, extracurricular activities, etc. In the context of return, Directorate of Immigration reported the newly concluded agreement with IOM in order to conduct family assessments of UAMs in the countries of origin as a good practice. On the one hand, this assessment is one element that will be taken into consideration in the examination of the application of the minor. On the other hand, it helps in assessing the best interest of the child in the event of a return if the application is rejected.

The Canary Islands have received significant numbers of unaccompanied minors, especially during 2006. This pheno-menon has resulted in the need to develop an appropriate policy response across the Spanish State and the European Union. The proposals to establish special protected status for unaccompanied migrant children have generated con-siderable controversy within the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, since it has assumed competence for taking the necessary measures for the protection of minors within its territory. This paper provides an overview of the relevant legislation and policies on reception, return and integration applicable to unaccompanied minors, analysing the difficulties that policymakers must take into account as they address the phenomenon of child migration

The Canary Islands have received significant numbers of unaccompanied minors, especially during 2006. This pheno-menon has resulted in the need to develop an appropriate policy response across the Spanish State and the European Union. The proposals to establish special protected status for unaccompanied migrant children have generated con-siderable controversy within the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, since it has assumed competence for taking the necessary measures for the protection of minors within its territory. This paper provides an overview of the relevant legislation and policies on reception, return and integration applicable to unaccompanied minors, analysing the difficulties that policymakers must take into account as they address the phenomenon of child migration

The Canary Islands have received significant numbers of unaccompanied minors, especially during 2006. This pheno-menon has resulted in the need to develop an appropriate policy response across the Spanish State and the European Union. The proposals to establish special protected status for unaccompanied migrant children have generated con-siderable controversy within the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, since it has assumed competence for taking the necessary measures for the protection of minors within its territory. This paper provides an overview of the relevant legislation and policies on reception, return and integration applicable to unaccompanied minors, analysing the difficulties that policymakers must take into account as they address the phenomenon of child migration

Tussen 1 januari 2014 en 31 augustus 2019 werden 8.775 asielaanvragen ingediend door alleenstaande minderjarige vreemdelingen (AMV’s). In eerste aanleg werd 69% van de aanvragen ingewilligd en 26% afgewezen (de overige 5% zat op de peildatum van 31 december 2019 nog in de procedure of had deze voortijdig stopgezet).Van de AMV’s met een verblijfsvergunning was 79% man en kwamen de meeste uit Eritrea (50%) en Syrië (38%). Gemiddeld waren de AMV’s op het moment van het verkrijgen van de vergunning 15,7 jaar oud.In 2019 volgde 56% van de (ex-)AMV’s met een vergunning een opleiding; 40% had een baan. Ongeveer een derde van de (ex-)AMV’s volgde op dat moment geen onderwijs en had geen werk.Meer dan de helft van de afgewezen (ex-)AMV’s is met onbekende bestemming vertrokken. Tien procent heeft Nederland aantoonbaar verlaten (hetzij vrijwillig, hetzij gedwongen).Onder afgewezen ex-AMV’s van 18 jaar of ouder (op 31 december 2019) die werden opgevangen onder het nieuwe opvangmodel, ligt het aandeel dat met onbekende bestemming vertrok hoger, terwijl het aandeel dat op de peildatum rechtmatig in Nederland verbleef lager ligt dan onder de groep die onder het oude model werd opgevangen. Het aandeel vrijwillig vertrek onder het oude en nieuwe opvangmodel is vergelijkbaar.De hier gepresenteerde resultaten uit een gezamenlijk onderzoek van WODC en CBS bieden een eerste beschrijving van de groep AMV’s die tussen 1 januari 2014 en 31 augustus 2019 asiel aanvroegen in Nederland. In de toekomst kunnen meer diepgaande inzichten verkregen worden, door zowel de populatie als de betrokken databronnen uit te breiden en bijvoorbeeld vergelijkingen te maken met andere relevante groepen zoals leeftijdsgenoten met en zonder (asiel)migratieachtergrond.

Worldwide, many migrants leave their countries in search of safety and internation- al protection. In 2015, the number of asylum seekers in Europe reached a peak. Among them were unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UMAs). The current study aimed to shed light on the push and pull factors that played a role in the flight of the UMAs who arrived in the Netherlands in 2015, to understand the processes through which these minors ultimately ended up in this country, their expectations regarding the intended destination, if any, and their satisfaction with life in the Netherlands – topics about which little is known so far.

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.

SUMMIT addresses how the issue of the disappearance of an unaccompanied child is tackled in different Member States and promotes successful strategies and behaviours related to the prevention and response to these disappearances. The project specifically looked at combining the experience of both the actors which primarily deal with the care of unaccompanied children and those which focus on disappearances of children, including law enforcement and hotlines for missing children, and from that combination examine how to cooperate better and on what issues.

Eight NGOs will support the health authorities of 11 Member States (BE, BG, DE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IT, NO, SE, SI) in providing adequate and accessible health services to newly arrived migrants with a specific focus on children, unaccompanied minors and pregnant women. Where needed, flexible and adaptive mobile health surveillance and response units will identify arrival and transit locations and provide general health assessments. Individual mental and physical health assessments will be conducted using the standardized personal health record developed by IOM and DG SANTE. Migrants will receive a health booklet to facilitate referrals to adequate and accessible primary healthcare (including vaccinations). Psychosocial support and preventative care will also be delivered. Depending on the rapidly changing context, and as long as adequate patient privacy can be ensured, actions will take place in mobile units, in temporary ‘clinics’ or in already existing centres run by the partner organizations or one of their associate local partners. Wherever possible, access to national health systems will be supported through social and health mediation activities and the provision of information on migrants’ rights to access care.

IOM-UNHCR-UNICEF Interagency Factsheet on Refugee and Migrant Children (including unaccompanied and separated children) compiles available data on children on the move in Europe. It provides overview of trends (quarterly and annual) in regards to overall arrivals to Europe, number of asylum claims, relocations, nationality breakdown of children, information about accompanied and unaccompanied and separated children, protection concerns, reception conditions. The factsheet is accessible on pdf reports under the "Data Products" section on the page "Latest on the refugee and migrant crisis" of UNICEF

Statistical data of the Greek Asylum Service: asylum applications by gender and age ranges, region of registration and country of origin, first instance procedure, unaccompanied minors; pending applications, appeals; relocation; Dublin