Unaccompanied child migrants failed by EU Member States

Tuesday 26 Jul 2016 @ 13:20
Parliamentary Committees and Public Enquiries

Unaccompanied migrant children are being systematically let down by the EU and its Member States, including the UK, says the EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee in its report published today.

Click here for the video

Background

In 2015 88,245 unaccompanied children applied for asylum in the EU and a conservative estimate from EUROPOL suggests that at least 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children are currently missing in the EU.

Chairman's Quote

Commenting on the report, Baroness Prashar, Chairman of the Sub-Committee, said:

"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."

Conclusions and recommendations

Member States across the EU 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
Unaccompanied migrant children are often not believed and treated with a level of suspicion, with age disputes often adversely affecting their treatment and their well-being
Children display a lack of trust in the authorities, and in some cases resort to drastic measures to avoid cooperating with them
A stronger focus on developing durable solutions should be followed, retaining the principle of prioritising the child's best interests at its core
A system of independent guardians, appointed as soon as possible to act in the child's best interests, should be established across the EU and the UK

Further Information

Channel website: http://www.parliament.uk/

Share this article

Latest News from
Parliamentary Committees and Public Enquiries

Britain and Northern Ireland diverge on fruit packaging due to new EU proposals

23/04/2024 12:15:00

New EU fruit and vegetable rules will create further differences in how fruit is sold in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, according to the European Scrutiny Committee’s latest report.

Gambling regulation: Culture, Media and Sport Committee publishes Government response to report

22/04/2024 16:25:00

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee recently (19 April 2024) published the Government’s response to its report on gambling regulation.

Still no fines as a result of 2022 Russian sanctions breaches

19/04/2024 16:25:00

No fines for sanctions breaches have been levied as a result of the 2022 sanctions against Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, correspondence from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) reveals.

Government rejects Committee’s calls for increased parliamentary scrutiny of treaties

18/04/2024 13:05:00

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) today publishes the Government’s response to its report on scrutiny of international treaties.

New select committee proposed to provide scrutiny of highly confidential spending

15/04/2024 13:05:00

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today calls for the establishment of a new select committee, to consider sound financial practice and value for money in sensitive areas which are outside the remit of the statutory Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.

Government should learn lessons from pandemic to improve communications and counter misinformation

12/04/2024 15:05:00

Scientists working across government should be allowed and encouraged to take on a wider public facing role in the media to combat the spread of misinformation, a report from MPs says today.

MPs call for copyright changes and new champion for freelancers to improve precarious pay and working conditions in creative industries

10/04/2024 13:05:00

Many successful musicians, actors, writers and visual artists are struggling to make a living due to gaps in copyright protection, a lack of support for freelancers and unpredictable returns from music streaming, MPs warn today.

Equity in cricket: ECB must closely monitor Yorkshire to ensure no return to ‘business as usual’, MPs say

05/04/2024 14:05:00

The ECB must closely monitor Yorkshire CCC to ensure there is no return to the ‘business as usual’ that allowed a culture of discrimination to take root and thrive at the club, MPs say today.

Government must clamp down on unregulated canine fertility clinics and unlicensed pet breeders, say MPs

05/04/2024 12:25:00

The EFRA Committee wants the Government to address the fact that more than half of the puppies entering the market come from unlicensed breeders, and is today calling for a list of licensed breeders to be made public, and a change in the licensing regulations so as to include breeders of two or more litters a year, in order to counter low welfare breeding practices and provide assurance to buyers.

WIREDGOV