Unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers face more neglect in Europe and are prone to abuse than those accompanied by adults, a new report by a Geneva-based rights group has said.
The report by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor) has revealed a significant disparity in the treatment of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum compared to accompanied children in Europe.
According to the report titled “Happiness, Love and Understanding: The Protection of Unaccompanied Minors in the 27 EU Member States”, member states received 881,200 first-time applications for international protection in 2022, with 39,520 of those made by unaccompanied minors. This represents the highest number of unaccompanied minor applicants since 2015, marking a 45 percent increase compared to the previous year.
An earlier report by UNICEF said that out of 281 million international migrants in 2020, at least 36 million were children, marking a sharp spike in minors forced to flee their homes for different reasons.
Disappearing refugee kids
The latest report also highlights the inadequate protection and neglect these vulnerable children face, as they face disappearances while seeking asylum.
In Austria, 78 percent of all unaccompanied minor applicants disappeared in 2021. The report emphasises that these disappearances often occur due to the failure of authorities to implement policies that identify and monitor unaccompanied minors adequately.
The issue of disappearing asylum-seeker minors has been known since 2016 when Europol reported that at least 10,000 unaccompanied child refugees have gone missing after arriving in Europe.
In 2021, Lost in Europe, a journalism project investigating the disappearance of migrant children, reported that more than 18,000 migrant children had gone missing in Europe between 2018 and 2020. According to the Italian government, at least 2,409 children vanished in the first four months of 2022.
Despite the growing numbers of disappearing asylum-seeker minors and the urgent need for action to protect kids, Europe’s response remains inadequate.
European states have failed to address the urgent need for proper identification, legal guardianship, and suitable accommodation for these young asylum seekers.
The report examines the policies and practices of each country in the EU, aiming to shed light on the state of human rights for minor asylum seekers.
It reveals a range of shortcomings, including the systematic border pushbacks reported in several countries, ill-treatment by police officers, unlawful detention, and a lack of adequate accommodation and care.
The Euro-Med Monitor report calls for urgent action to address these challenges. It emphasises that unaccompanied minors should never be pushed back or detained and should be accommodated in reception facilities designed specifically for children.
The findings of this report highlight the stark contrast between European and international law and the treatment of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors in Europe.
The failure to protect these vulnerable children not only violates their fundamental rights but also exposes them to further risks, including criminal organisations that exploit them for human trafficking, forced begging, and other forms of exploitation.
A wake-up call
Thousands of minors flee dangerous situations in their home countries every year, arriving on their own at the EU’s borders with the hope of finding safety and security by progressing on the path to international protection.
It is imperative that European states uphold their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, providing special protection and assistance to children deprived of their family environment, regardless of their religious, ethnic or racial background.
The Euro-Med Monitor report serves as a wake-up call, demanding immediate attention and action from European authorities to protect the rights of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors. Time is of the essence to prevent further disappearances and secure the safety and well-being of these vulnerable children who have sought refuge on European soil.
Source: TRTworld.com
