Better protecting children in migration
Action Leader: City of Amsterdam
What is the specific problem?
Between 2014-2017, it is estimated that 30,000 children went missing in the EU after their arrival. Missing migrant and refugee children are not a homogenous group: the reasons for their disappearance may vary, leading to different types of vulnerabilities. Therefore, understanding the factors that lead to unaccompanied minors going missing, and addressing the resulting vulnerabilities and protection needs, is a complex challenge requiring coordinated and tailored policy approaches. In 2019 the NGO Missing Children Europe (MCE) produced a report on the bottlenecks in cross-border cooperation and developed specific recommendations on how children in migrations can better be protected in Europe. The barriers to cross-border cooperation include diverse issues such as lack of clear procedures within and between Member States; legal and procedural gaps in protecting the child’s information when cooperating across borders; lack of harmonised approach on Guardianship; lack of legal provisions and multi-agency cooperation in finding a durable solution for the child; and needs for more training for frontline professionals.
What action was needed?
Building upon the findings and recommendations of MCE, this action aimed to address this challenge by improving awareness on the barriers/bottlenecks in the protection of children in migration and to identify potential solutions to improve cross-border cooperation. The particular characteristic of the Partnership as a multi-level framework for cooperation and its convening powers brought an added quality to the findings and recommendations of MCE. Moreover, the action aimed at promoting a more nuanced understanding of the different motivations, situations and needs of missing unaccompanied minors (for example, the different situations of victims of trafficking vs. unaccompanied minors in transit who go under the radar to reunite with family members or for other reasons). This is an important precondition to developing tailored approaches to ensure unaccompanied minors’ adequate care and protection.
Faced with the unprecedented displacement of children from Ukraine since February 2022, the action shifted its main focus to explore how to ensure the protection of millions of children arriving in Europe.
The action was targeted to government officials (national/local/regional/EU) responsible for the domain of migration and minors, and frontline professionals that are by way of their daily work involved in the chains that form the safety net for missing children (e.g. guardians, social workers, hotline operators, law enforcement officers, asylum authorities and the civil society).
How was the action implemented?
A roundtable was organised involving different actors and levels of governance. The roundtable, held in May 2022, focused on the protection challenges faced by children fleeing the conflict in Ukraine and explored potential solutions.
Main takeaways
Main takeaways include:
Local and national authorities have encountered challenges to support children fleeing the conflict, such as capacity crunches in schools and kindergartens, access to guardianship, risk of exploitation, or supporting and safeguarding the rights of children that do not register with authorities
Promising measures discussed include supporting children's online education, injecting a long-term perspective (e.g. planning for potential integration in the school system in September), taking steps to prevent exploitation, and providing guidance to school authorities.
Which partners?
Action leader: City of Amsterdam
Members: Missing Children Europe, Eurocities, European Commission’s DG for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME), City of Barcelona, City of Berlin, Italy, Portugal, City of Tilburg.