'Roadmap' Provides Lifeline for Unaccompanied, Migrant Children in Europe...
New 'Roadmap' Provides Lifeline for Unaccompanied, Migrant Children in Europe
July 10, 2017 — Thousands of unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children risk exploitation, trafficking, abuse and violence because European asylum countries have failed to protect them, according to three leading humanitarian organizations.
New 'Roadmap' Provides Lifeline for Unaccompanied, Migrant Children in Europe
July 10, 2017 — Thousands of unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children risk exploitation, trafficking, abuse and violence because European asylum countries have failed to protect them, according to three leading humanitarian organizations.
To remedy this situation, the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR), the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and International Rescue Committee (IRC) have devised a “Roadmap for Action” to protect vulnerable children arriving and staying in Europe. ”While the total number of arrivals to Europe has decreased, the situation of unaccompanied and separated children remains an emergency,” said Diane Goodman, deputy director of the UNHCR’s Europe bureau. “It is wrong to assume that children are safe as soon as they reach Europe. They are not. In fact, many children experience violence, abuse and exploitation while in Europe and Europe is failing these extremely vulnerable children,” she said.
Goodman noted that the youngsters often were detained upon arrival in Europe, with many placed with adults in large centers. Others were living in squats, train stations or on the streets. “Without safe and appropriate care, we will never be able to establish trust or find a solution in the child’s best interests,” she said. UNICEF has said the underlying causes that prompted children and their families to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea remain, as millions of people are still affected by the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Children play in a playground at the camp for migrants and refugees in Friedland, Germany
Launched Monday, the Roadmap was developed in consultation with 100 practitioners, including guardians, psychologists, social workers and lawyers, as well as authorities from several European countries and the European Union. Annalisa Brusati, the IRC’s child protection senior technical adviser, noted that refugee and migrant children who testified about their experiences, fears and hopes and dreams also provided valuable input to the development of the Roadmap. For example, she said a 14-year-old Algerian boy told aid workers that “all children my age are not feeling safe. They are forced to go into war and they are all dying." “We deserve a normal childhood like other children in the world,” he said.
Additionally, there was the 17-year old Afghan boy who described how unprotected he and other children felt during their perilous journey, concluding that, “We were forced to trust the smugglers.” Commenting on the testimonials, Brusati said, “The children’s experience also shows a way forward by letting us know what currently works and what needs to be scaled up and replicated. "The way forward that IRC, UNHCR and UNICEF are presenting today completes this roadmap and lays out our seven clear recommendations to improve the current response offered to these children, ensuring they are protected and supported in a coordinated and effective manner,” she said.
MORE
