On 2 May 2018, the European Parliament passed a new resolution to protect migrant children arriving in the European Union.

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The resolution calls for all Member States to safeguard the rights and interests of children when implementing their respective migration policies, taking into consideration the unique challenges faced by child refugees and asylum seekers, such as vulnerability to exploitation, violence and sexual abuse. 

Policy actions for member states to strengthen child protection and inclusion

In 2017, 650,000 people submitted a first-time application for asylum in the EU, of which 31% were minors. Of these minors, 13% per cent were unaccompanied by a caregiver.

Following on from the 2017 European Commission communication on support for migrant children, the resolution emphasises that all children – regardless of migration status – are entitled to all the rights enshrined in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.

It sets out a number of policy areas for action by Member States, including:

• allocating adequate funding and support to local and regional authorities, and make use of European sources such as the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF),
• providing access to education, accommodation and healthcare,
• ensuring that unaccompanied children be accommodated separately to adults, for safety,
• urgently investing in psychological and psychiatric support for child migrants,
• speeding up procedures for appointing guardians or temporary guardians for unaccompanied children,
• ensuring that children have access to child protection officers at border crossing arrival points,
• accommodating all children and families with children in non-custodial, community-based settings while their application is reviewed,
• ensuring that children are provided with information about their rights in a child-friendly and gender sensitive way.

The Resolution also highlights the need for Member States to step up efforts for cross-border cooperation to avoid gaps in child protection services and to identify victims of child trafficking and abuse, particularly regarding the sexual exploitation of young girls.

EPIC publishes policy memo on unaccompanied child migrants

The European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC) has also published a policy memo on approaches to Education for unaccompanied migrant children in Europe. It provides a brief overview of the national and school-level approaches to the inclusion of unaccompanied migrant children (UAMs) in Member State education systems.

This memo is the third in a series of short policy memos aimed at policymakers, researchers and practitioners and focusing on topics relevant to child welfare.