A Joint Brief on the Situation for Unaccompanied and Separated Children in Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia

This advocacy brief is a joint effort by 12 national and international humanitarian agencies  responding to the needs of UASC stranded in or on the move throughout the Balkans, specifically Bulgaria, FYROM, Serbia and Croatia.
The information and recommendations outlined in the paper are based on field observations, daily programming, and regular interaction with UASC. 

To improve the overall response for these children, issues to address fall within four main areas of concern:

  • Insufficient and unreliable data or information management on UASC within the region;
  • Lack of options for safe accommodation and comprehensive services for UASC in line with each child’s best interests;
  • Lack of access to legal pathways and lack of cross-border case management to improve continuity of care and protection; and
  • Exposure to exploitation, violence and trafficking, including as a result of smuggling and violent pushbacks.

Recommendations to the European Commission:

  • Publish a report on the implementation of the Action Plan on Unaccompanied Children (2010-2014), tracking progress towards implementation and identifying outstanding actions by respective countries, with the opportunity for input from humanitarian agencies.
  • Re-prioritize the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance to better support Balkan states in providing comprehensive care to UASC including for registration, the availability of safe gender and age-appropriate accommodation, meaningful access to services (with interpreters), education, and appropriate systems for the collection of data, upholding the Commission’s 10 Principles of Integrated Child Protection Systems.
  • Encourage EU member states such as Croatia, Hungary and Bulgaria to employ funding from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund to address shortcomings in reception facilities and provisions for UASC. Introduce a Common Guardianship Strategy as a matter of priority, including the establishment or development of existing networks to meet international guidelines/ best practice, ensuring guardians are properly vetted, trained and provided with guidelines on best interest assessment procedures.
  • Take all available measures, including as a last resort, infringement proceedings, to ensure EU member states meet their existing commitments under EU law regarding the transfer of UASC, such as relocation, family reunification and the Dublin Regulation.
  • Prevent and hold to account any human rights and child rights violations in its member states and candidate states, especially in Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia.
  • Invest in efforts to address the root causes of migration in countries of origin that force children to take this dangerous journey through Europe.

Childhub

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