EU letting down migrant children, Lords committee claims
Unaccompanied migrant children are being systematically let down by the EU and its member states, including the UK, according to a new report by the Hourse of Lords EU Home Affairs Subcommittee.
The report sets out that in 2015, 88,245 unaccompanied children applied for asylum in the EU, and it is thought that as many such children do not make asylum applications as do. And a conservative estimate from EUROPOL suggests that at least 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children are currently missing in the EU.
It concludes that member states are failing to share the burden collectively and little progress has been made in the relocation of unaccompanied child migrants. Lack of action and implementation of existing measures is leading to increased vulnerability of unaccompanied children to smugglers, traffickers and organised crime, including through sexual abuse and exploitation. The committee was told that doctors in Save the Children’s Italy programme found that 50% of the children they were dealing with had a sexually transmitted infection.
Children are frequently not believed, are treated with suspicion, and disputes over their age often adversely affect their treatment and wellbeing. As a result, children display a lack of trust in the authorities, and in some cases resort to drastic measures to avoid cooperating with them.
The committee calls for a "stronger focus on developing durable solutions", keeping the principle of prioritising the child's best interests at its core, with a system of independent guardians, appointed as soon as possible to act in the child's best interests, being established across the EU and the UK.
As a step towards better protection, all member states should urgently implement processes to ensure that unaccompanied migrant children are correctly identified and registered as soon as they come into contact with relevant authorities.
"Opportunities for unaccompanied migrant children to exercise their right to family reunification are inconsistently implemented across the EU, and are particularly limited in the UK", the committee concludes, recommending that the UK Government reconsiders its restrictive position on family reunification.
Baroness Prashar, chairman of the subcommittee, commented: "The current refugee crisis is the greatest humanitarian challenge the EU has faced in its lifetime. At the sharp end of this crisis are unaccompanied migrant children, who are being failed across the board.
"We found a clear failure among EU countries, including the UK, to shoulder their fair share of the burden. We deeply regret the UK Government’s reluctance to relocate migrant children to the UK, in particular those living in terrible conditions in the camps near the Channel ports.
"It is particularly shocking that so many unaccompanied child migrants are falling out of the system altogether and going missing. How can member states, including the UK, tolerate a situation where there are more than 10,000 missing migrant children in the EU?
"We urge the EU institutions and the UK Government to address these complex problems urgently. At the end of the day, unaccompanied child migrants are children, first and foremost, and we need to work together to care for them in a decent and humane way."