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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon
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Results for unaccompanied children
26 results foundAuthor: Women's Refugee Commission Title: Halfway Home: Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Custody Summary: Thousands of children migrate to the United States each year. Many of these children come fleeing war, violence, abuse or natural disaster; others come to reunite with family members already here, or to seek better lives for themselves. They undertake difficult journeys, often across numerous international borders, and often alone. Unaccompanied children are some of the most vulnerable migrants who cross our borders, and are in need of special protections appropriate for their situation. Yet they face additional hurdles upon arrival. They are placed in custody while their immigration cases proceed through the courts, and they must undergo adversarial immigration proceedings, often without the help of a lawyer or guardian. In March 2003, the Homeland Security Act (HSA) transferred custody of unaccompanied alien children from the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). 4 ORR, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) created the Division of Unaccompanied Children's Services (DUCS) to provide care and services to this population. In an effort to assess the effectiveness of the transfer, the Women's Refugee Commission* and the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP (Orrick) embarked on a landmark study of the conditions of care and confinement for children in immigration proceedings without a parent or guardian. We visited 30 DUCS programs, three facilities where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains children and three Border Patrol stations. In addition, we interviewed staff, attorneys, advocates, social workers and more than 200 children. In this report, we provide an overview of what life is like for children in DUCS, Border Patrol and ICE custody. In general, we found that the treatment of most unaccompanied children has greatly improved with the transfer of custody to DUCS. The majority of children are eventually released to parents, relatives or sponsors and a good number of those not eligible for release are held in child-friendly shelter facilities or foster home placements. DUCS has made significant improvements in the quality of medical care, has identified children in need of protection and has created a mechanism to better ensure that children are released to safe environments. In addition, DUCS has created pilot programs to provide legal assistance and guardians ad litem to some children. The recent passage of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA) should further enhance protections for children. We conclude that HHS is the most appropriate entity to provide care and custody for unaccompanied children. However, while important improvements have been made and children are better cared for, the Women's Refugee Commission found that significant child protection challenges remain under the current system. Border Patrol and ICE, which are agencies of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), continue to detain children in inappropriate facilities. In addition, the DUCS program was based in large part on the old INS model of care and has suffered from growing pains and significant challenges as a result. The transfer of custody to DUCS has shifted service provision away from a criminal justice culture and injected social services into the system; however, the intent of the transfer, which was to decouple prosecution from care, has not been fully realized. The roles of prosecutor and caretaker continue to be interwoven in a manner that interferes with the best interest of children. As a result, today's system of care is in many ways a friendlier face superimposed on the old INS model. In essence, we found that the transfer of custody was incomplete because: - DHS still serves as the gatekeeper in deciding which children will be transferred to DUCS, and when. - DHS inappropriately retains custody of some children whom we consider to be unaccompanied. - DUCS continues in some cases to rely on an institutional model of care that lacks appropriate monitoring and oversight and that fails to protect confidentiality or provide adequate services to all children consistent with child welfare principles. As a result: - DHS exerts significant influence over care and custody of unaccompanied children despite the fact that DUCS is the legal custodian for this population. - Not all unaccompanied children are transferred to DUCS custody, and many who are transferred are not transferred within 72 hours, as mandated by the Flores Settlement (see Appendix I). - Conditions at Border Patrol and ICE facilities remain inappropriate for children. - Services are compromised by the concentration of DUCS programs in rural areas. - DUCS inappropriately shares children's information with DHS, undermining children's access to reunification and relief. - Children's ability to access protection is limited by a lack of legal representation and lack of access to guardians ad litem. - Despite clear procedures, DUCS does not have effective or adequate monitoring practices. - DUCS does not place all children in the least restrictive setting appropriate for their needs. It has recently been increasing the number of children placed in staff-secure and secure facilities and has few therapeutic programs. Details: New York: Women's Refugee Commission; Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, 2009. 93p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2018 at: http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/498c41bf2.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/498c41bf2.pdf Shelf Number: 117115 Keywords: Illegal AliensIllegal Immigrant ChildrenImmigrantsImmigrationUnaccompanied Children |
Author: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Title: Children on the Run: Unaccompanied Children Leaving Central America and Mexico and the Need for International Protection Summary: Since 2009, UNHCR has registered an increased number of asylum-seekers - both children and adults - from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala lodging claims in the Americas region. The United States recorded the largest number of new asylum applications out of all countries of asylum, having received 85% of the total of new applications brought by individuals from these three countries in 2012. The number of requests for asylum has likewise increased in countries other than the U.S. Combined, Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Belize, documented a 432% increase in the number of asylum applications lodged by individuals from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. In the United States, the number of adults claiming fear of return to their countries of origin to government officials upon arriving to a port of entry or apprehension at the southern border increased sharply from 5,369 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 to 36,174 in FY 2013.25 Individuals from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala and Mexico account for 70% of this increase. Beginning in October 2011, the U.S. Government recorded a dramatic rise - commonly referred to in the United States as "the surge" - in the number of unaccompanied and separated children arriving to the United States from these same three countries - El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The total number of apprehensions of unaccompanied and separated children from these countries by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) jumped from 4,059 in FY 2011 to 10,443 in FY 2012 and then more than doubled again, to 21,537, in FY 2013. At the same time, a tremendous number of children from Mexico have been arriving to the U.S. over a longer period of time, and although the gap is narrowing as of FY 2013, the number of children from Mexico has far outpaced the number of children from any one of the three Central American countries. For example, in FY 2011, the number of Mexican children apprehended was 13,000, rising to 15,709 in FY 2012 and reaching 18,754 in FY 2013. Unlike the unaccompanied and separated children arriving to the U.S. from other countries, including El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, most of these children were promptly returned to Mexico after no more than a day or two in the custody of the U.S. authorities, making it even more difficult to obtain a full picture of who these children were and why they were coming to the U.S. While recognizing a significant contextual difference between the situation in Mexico and in the Northern Triangle of Central America, the common denominator is that all four countries are producing high numbers of unaccompanied and separated children seeking protection at the southern border of the United States. UNHCR's research was to ascertain the connection between the children's stated reasons, the findings of recent studies on the increasing violence and insecurity in the region, and international protection needs. UNHCR Washington conducted individual interviews with 404 unaccompanied or separated children - approximately 100 from each country - who arrived to the U.S. during or after October 2011 and, in the context of the current regional and national environments and the tremendous number of displaced children arriving to the U.S. from these four countries, analyzed the children's responses in order to answer two questions: Why are these children leaving their countries of origin? Are any of these children in need of international protection? Details: Washington, DC: UNHCR, 2014. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 13, 2014 at: http://www.unhcrwashington.org/sites/default/files/UAC_UNHCR_Children%20on%20the%20Run_Full%20Report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Central America URL: http://www.unhcrwashington.org/sites/default/files/UAC_UNHCR_Children%20on%20the%20Run_Full%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 131896 Keywords: Asylum SeekersChild ProtectionRunawaysUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Frydman, Lisa Title: A Treacherous Journey: Child Migrants Navigating the U.S. Immigration System Summary: A Treacherous Journey: Child Migrants Navigating the U.S. Immigration System addresses the issues raised by the recent historic and unabated increase in the number of children coming unaccompanied - without a parent or legal guardian - to the United States. From 6,000-8,000 unaccompanied children entering U.S. custody, the numbers surged to 13,625 in Fiscal Year 2012 and 24,668 in Fiscal Year 2013. The government has predicted that as many as 60,000 or more unaccompanied children could enter the United States in Fiscal Year 2014. These children come from all over the world, but the majority arrive from Mexico and Central America, in particular the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Children come unaccompanied to the United States for a range of reasons. Numerous reports and the children themselves say that increasing violence in their home communities and a lack of protection against this violence spurred them to flee. Children also travel alone to escape severe intrafamilial abuse, abandonment, exploitation, deep deprivation, forced marriage, or female genital cutting. Others are trafficked to the United States for sexual or labor exploitation. Upon arrival, some children reunite with family members they have not seen in many years, but their migration is often motivated by violence and other factors, in addition to family separation. Their journeys may be as harrowing as the experiences they are fleeing, with children often facing sexual violence or other abuses as they travel. The children's challenges continue when U.S. immigration authorities apprehend them, take them into the custody of the federal government, and place them in deportation proceedings. There, they are treated as "adults in miniature" and have no right to appointed counsel and no one to protect their best interests as children in the legal system. In addition, existing forms of immigration relief do not provide sufficient safeguards to protect against deportation when it is contrary to their best interests. Details: San Francisco: Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, University of California Hastings College of the Law; Washington, DC: Kids in Need of Defense, 2014. 104p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2014 at: http://www.uchastings.edu/centers/cgrs-docs/treacherous_journey_cgrs_kind_report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.uchastings.edu/centers/cgrs-docs/treacherous_journey_cgrs_kind_report.pdf Shelf Number: 132011 Keywords: Child ProtectionIllegal ImmigrationsImmigrant ChildrenImmigration EnforcementRunawaysUnaccompanied ChildrenUndocumented Immigrants |
Author: Thompson, Amy Title: A Child Alone and Without Papers: A report on the return and repatriation of unaccompanied undocumented children in the United States Summary: Every year, the United States apprehends tens of thousands of undocumented children under the age of 18 - many of whom travel to this country unaccompanied, without their parent or legal guardian. Some of these children come to the U.S. to flee violence or the sex trade, others poverty. The children's motivations are complex, their stories unique. Most of the unaccompanied undocumented children who come into custody are removed from the U.S. by federal authorities and repatriated to their country of origin. Repatriation, for the purposes of this report, begins at the point that the United States relinquishes physical custody of the child in his native country. Given the circumstances that lead to child migration and the inherent vulnerabilities of children, removal and repatriation can prove detrimental to the child when not carefully regulated. As such, it is essential that U.S. immigration policies and procedures recognize our child welfare standards, for both the good of the individual child and to preserve our core values regarding the treatment of all children. It is also essential for the United States to have clear, transparent, and consistent mechanisms for removal and repatriation in order to avoid undue risk to the child's safety and well-being. What really happens to the estimated 43,0001 unaccompanied undocumented children who are removed from the United States? And what is the effect of repatriation on these children? A Child Alone and Without Papers explores these issues via analyses of U.S., Mexican, and Honduran policies, interviews with 82 personnel from these countries, and interviews with 33 undocumented and unaccompanied Mexican and Honduran children. In Mexico, we interviewed eight girls and 18 boys, ranging from age seven to 17; in Honduras: seven boys, ranging from age 15 to 17. Mexico and Honduras were selected as they are the most common countries of origin for unaccompanied children and are representative of the two divergent systems for the removal of unaccompanied children: neighboring versus non-neighboring country systems. Details: Austin, TX: Center for Public Policy Priorities, 2008. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 30, 2014 at: http://forabettertexas.org/images/A_Child_Alone_and_Without_Papers.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://forabettertexas.org/images/A_Child_Alone_and_Without_Papers.pdf Shelf Number: 133875 Keywords: Child ProtectionIllegal ImmigrantsImmigrantsImmigrationUnaccompanied ChildrenUndocumented Children (U.S.) |
Author: Naik, Asmita Title: Detained Youth: The fate of young migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in Libya today Summary: This study paints a damning picture of the immigration detention of young migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in Libya today. Based on in-depth interviews with 45 detainees (85 per cent of whom were unaccompanied children or young people), the study reveals a consistent pattern of arbitrary detention; of people held for months at a time without any form of due process in squalid, cramped conditions. Detention occurs in facilities across the country, many of which are reported to be under the control of the governing authorities or militia forces. Serious violations, including allegations of violence and brutality, are said to be commonplace, including in some of Libya's most well-known detention centres. As the first study of its kind to assess the particular plight of detained refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant children and youth in Libya's immigration detention centres, it provides timely information about the current situation in the country. The right to liberty and freedom from arbitrary detention is among the most fundamental of rights belonging to all human beings, and its consistent denial, especially to vulnerable minors and young people, is a matter of the gravest concern. The absence of a humane and orderly framework for handling migration flows in Libya is no doubt a contributing factor to the ever increasing numbers of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees willing to risk their lives in the Mediterranean to reach the safety of Europe. Details: s.l.: Mixed Migration Hub, 2015. 90p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 13, 2015 at: http://www.migration4development.org/sites/default/files/mhub_2015_detained-youth.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Libya URL: http://www.migration4development.org/sites/default/files/mhub_2015_detained-youth.pdf Shelf Number: 136000 Keywords: Asylum SeekersImmigrant DetentionImmigrant YouthRefugeesUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Hipsman, Faye Title: In-Country Refugee Processing in Central America: A Piece of the Puzzle Summary: In December 2014, the Obama administration established the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee/Parole Program, an in-country refugee processing program for minors in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras deemed deserving of humanitarian protection in the United States. An element of the government's response to the 2014 surge in arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border of unaccompanied minors from Central America, the CAM program seeks to provide certain minors with a legal, safe alternative to undertaking dangerous, unauthorized journeys to the United States. In fiscal year (FY) 2014, almost 69,000 unaccompanied minors were apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol, up from 39,000 in FY 2013 and 24,000 the prior year. Unlike in prior years, when Mexico was the top sending country, the majority of unaccompanied children in 2014 came from Central America's Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The growing power of gangs and organized-crime groups, as well as rising rates of homicide, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and gender-based violence in the region are well documented, and the new CAM in-country processing program was created with the aim of providing minors affected by violence in Central America the ability to legally reunite with parents living lawfully in the United States. This report provides an overview of the CAM program and its operations, and reviews the history of U.S. in-country processing programs, which date to the 1970s and have operated in countries including Vietnam, Haiti, Cuba, and Iraq. It also examines the issues such programs have raised about goals, participation rates, and the process and criteria for in-country applications. Details: Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2015. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 14, 2015 at: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/In-Country-Processing-FINAL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Central America URL: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/In-Country-Processing-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 136400 Keywords: MigrantsMigrationRefugeesUnaccompanied ChildrenUndocumented Migrants |
Author: Chester, Hilary Title: Child Victims of Human Trafficking: Outcomes and Service Adaptation within the U.S. Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Programs Summary: In the United States, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 and subsequent reauthorizations in 2003, 2005, 2008, and 2013 define both the crime of trafficking of persons for the purposes of labor or commercial sex and the services and benefits available to victims. Foreign-born victims of human trafficking are eligible for many of the same protections,services, and benefits as refugees. Foreign-born victims of human trafficking also share many affinities with refugees - the need for support while rebuilding their lives in a new culture and assistance with healing from the trauma endured, including loss and/or separation from family. Child victims of trafficking have additional needs and vulnerabilities, especially as they begin to rebuild their lives in their new communities. Foreign-born child victims in the United States without the care of a parent or legal guardian are eligible to enter the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) program, a specialized system of community-based and licensed foster-care programs developed and funded specifically for certain foreign-born children.iii The URM programs operate under the principles of safety, permanency, and child well-being, coupled with the principles of integration and cultural competency. The URM network also employs a strengths-based and trauma-informed approach to meet the unique needs of these populations. For almost thirty-five years, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS) has coordinated a network of URM programs across the United States to provide care and custody for thousands of eligible children. From 2002 to 2013, the USCCB/MRS URM programs cared for 110 child victims of trafficking. This paper presents the features of the URM program model that most effectively meets the specialized needs of foreign-born child victims of human trafficking. Also shared below are key findings from the study related to individual outcomes for child victims of trafficking, the services and resources provided to child victims of trafficking, and the policies and practices of URM programs for the recruitment, training, and support of foster families and program staff. The URM program, with its specific adaptations and accommodations to meet the specialized needs of foreign-born child victims, can serve as a national and international model for the care and integration of both foreign-born and national/citizen child victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Details: Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2015. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 14, 2015 at: http://www.usccb.org/about/anti-trafficking-program/upload/URM-Child-Trafficking-Study-2015-8-15.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.usccb.org/about/anti-trafficking-program/upload/URM-Child-Trafficking-Study-2015-8-15.pdf Shelf Number: 136431 Keywords: Child Sexual ExploitationChild TraffickingHuman TraffickingRefugeesUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Pierce, Sarah Title: Unaccompanied Child Migrants in U.S. Communities, Immigration Court, and Schools Summary: More than 102,000 unaccompanied children (UACs) from Central America and Mexico were apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the U.S.-Mexico border between October 1, 2013 and August 31, 2015. The rapid influx of child arrivals in the spring and summer of 2014, which caught the attention of a concerned public and policymakers, briefly overwhelmed the systems in place for processing and caring for these children. While most of the Mexican children are quickly returned to Mexico, under U.S. law children from noncontiguous countries are transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be processed and simultaneously placed in removal proceedings. The vast majority of these are released by ORR into the custody of a parent, relative, or friend in the United States while they wait for their cases to progress through the immigration court system. This issue brief summarizes the available data and qualitative research on where unaccompanied child migrants are being placed, how they are faring in immigration court, what types of services are available to them, and how communities, in particular schools, are adapting to their arrival. Even though a priority docket was created in the immigration courts system for unaccompanied minors, their cases continue to lag. Even when their cases are finally heard, the immigration court system has resolved the status for relatively few of them: a review of the data shows that while 70 percent of those who show up for their hearings receive some form of immigration relief, 97 percent do not receive a simultaneous grant of immigration status - meaning they remain unauthorized. Meanwhile, most removal orders go to children who fail to attend their hearings, and as a result many orders of removal go unexecuted. As these cases make their way through the courts, the children become further engrained in communities and school districts across the country. The brief finds that communities and school districts largely continue to face challenges meeting the needs of these children and have responded in disparate ways to their arrival, some creating additional programs to address children's particular needs, while others have made school enrollment more difficult for this population. Details: Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2015. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: MPI Issue Brief: Accessed October 19, 2015 at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/unaccompanied-child-migrants-us-communities-immigration-court-and-schools Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/unaccompanied-child-migrants-us-communities-immigration-court-and-schools Shelf Number: 136993 Keywords: Border SecurityHuman SmugglingImmigrant ChildrenImmigration EnforcementImmigration PolicyUnaccompanied ChildrenUndocumented Children |
Author: Rosenblum, Marc R. Title: Trends in Unaccompanied Child and Family Migration from Central America Summary: After reaching record high levels during the spring and summer of 2014, the flow of Central American unaccompanied children (UACs) and families arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border declined sharply. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show a resurgence in the numbers of child migrants and families from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras arriving in the United States in the summer and fall of 2015. What caused the sharp drop in Central American child and family migration flows in summer 2014, and why have the numbers begun to climb once again? Undoubtedly, numerous factors contributed to the downturn. The United States intensified its enforcement efforts at the U.S.-Mexico border, detained large numbers of Central American women and children, targeted more resources to investigate and prosecute migrant smugglers, and worked with the Northern Triangle countries on a public information campaign to discourage outflows. Perhaps most importantly, Mexico significantly stepped up its enforcement, with the advent of the Southern Border Program. Guatemala and Honduras also took additional steps to secure their common borders and Guatemala's border with Mexico; and the three Northern Triangle countries announced a large-scale development strategy known as the Plan for the Alliance for Prosperity. While the drop in child migration and family arrivals in 2014 led some to believe the regional migration crisis had been resolved, rising flows in 2015 offer a reminder that humanitarian and migration pressures in the Northern Triangle remain a major concern, and that smuggling networks play a significant role. This fact sheet examines influencing factors on the recent trends in unaccompanied child and family arrivals from Central America to the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as Mexico's role in enforcement. Details: Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2016. 11p. Source: Internet Resource: Fact Sheet: Accessed February 8, 2016 at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/trends-unaccompanied-child-and-family-migration-central-america Year: 2016 Country: Central America URL: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/trends-unaccompanied-child-and-family-migration-central-america Shelf Number: 137790 Keywords: Border Law EnforcementBorder SecurityHuman SmugglingHuman TraffickingIllegal ImmigrationUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Malone, Mary Fran T. Title: Why Do the Children Flee? Public Security and Policing Practices in Central America Summary: In this brief, author Mary Fran Malone discusses the security crisis in Central America and successful policing strategies for confronting this crisis. She reports that Central Americans' experiences and perceptions of crime are linked to an increased likelihood of migration. In 2014, approximately 57,000 unaccompanied minors traveled from Central America to Mexico, continuing north to cross the U.S. border illegally. The large numbers of people fleeing Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras testify not only to the violence of illicit markets but also to the failure of these countries' governments to fulfill their most important task - protecting the lives of their citizens. Not all Central American countries have failed at this task, however. Nicaragua and Panama have successfully created civilian police forces that have contained the crime crisis while also respecting the rights of citizens. Trust in police is significantly higher in Nicaragua and Panama than other countries in Central America, and people have more trust that the justice system will convict perpetrators of crime. If the United States aims to reduce the number of people fleeing north, it must invest more seriously in policing and public security practices that have a track record of success. After almost two decades, it is clear that the militarized and repressive policing strategies of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras do not work. As the cases of Nicaragua and Panama demonstrate, community-oriented policing strategies are effective in building citizens' trust in their police and fostering a culture of respect for human rights. Details: Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Carsey School of Public Policy, 2015. 10p. Source: Internet Resource: National Issue Brief #95: Accessed February 8, 2016 at: http://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1259&context=carsey Year: 2015 Country: Central America URL: http://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1259&context=carsey Shelf Number: 137791 Keywords: Community-Oriented PolicingDrug TraffickingIllegal ImmigrationIllicit MarketsPolice LegitimacyUnaccompanied Children |
Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office Title: Unaccompanied Children: HHS Should Improve Monitoring and Information Sharing Policies to Enhance Child Advocate Program Effectiveness Summary: Thousands of unaccompanied children arrive in the United States each year. For a small number of especially vulnerable children - about 1 percent in fiscal year 2015 - ORR provides an independent child advocate to develop safety and well-being recommendations to stakeholders, such as immigration judges. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 directed HHS to expand the program and included a provision for GAO to review the child advocate program. This report examines (1) the extent to which ORR increased the number of program locations, (2) the extent to which ORR ensured vulnerable children received advocate services, and (3) the program's benefits and challenges. GAO reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations; analyzed data from fiscal years 2012-2015 on the number and characteristics of child advocate cases served and recommendations made to stakeholders; and interviewed officials at ORR and the Department of Justice's immigration judges, and child advocate service providers in Chicago, Ill.; Brownsville, Tex.; and Washington, D.C. - selected to obtain variation in the number of children served and amount of time the program was operational, among other factors. What GAO Recommends GAO recommends that ORR improve its efforts to monitor care provider referrals and contractor decisions, and ensure that the contractor has timely access to key information on the children. HHS agreed with GAO's recommendations. Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2016. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: GAO-16-367: Accessed April 20, 2016 at: http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/676687.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/676687.pdf Shelf Number: 138702 Keywords: Child MigrantsChild ProtectionImmigrationUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Missing Children Europe Title: Best practices and key challenges on interagency cooperation to safeguard unaccompanied children from going missing Summary: On 31 January 2016, Europol reported that 10,000 unaccompanied children are unaccounted for after arriving in Europe, with many feared to be exploited and abused for sexual or labour purposes. While systematic and comprehensive data on the disappearance of unaccompanied children in Europe is unavailable to date, it is clear that the rate of children that go missing from care facilities is staggering - and continues to increase in the recent refugee crisis. In 2015, the Swedish coastal town of Trellerborg reported that 1000 out of the 1900 who had arrived in the town had gone missing within the span of a month. The Italian Ministry of Welfare declared that 62% of the children that had arrived between January and May 2015 were unaccounted for. In January 2016, the Federal Criminal Police (BKA) reported that 4749 unaccompanied child and adolescent refugees are considered to be missing, of which 431 were younger than 13-years-old. Each and every one of these children is a child with hopes, dreams and fears, who are entitled to the same human rights as the rest of us. The vast majority have arrived in Europe following long and difficult journeys over land and sea, having left their home because of conflict, war or poverty. Some have been separated from their families during the journey. Some others have been sent to Europe by their parents, who stay behind hoping their child will find a better future in Europe. Once in Europe, some children go missing from care facilities with a specific migration plan in mind, often linked to a wish to be reunited with family members in other Member States. Many run away because of the fear of being sent back to the situation they tried to escape from, or to avoid an unwanted Dublin transfer. Others are groomed by traffickers and end up being exploited in prostitution, forced labour or begging. Irrespective of the reason why they go missing, many of them slip through the net of child protection systems in place that increases the risk of children becoming victims of violations of their basic human rights. Protecting these children is a shared responsibility of all EU Member States, at the level of law enforcement authorities, guardians, reception centres, hotline professionals and more. Too often failing cooperation and coordination, nationally and transnationally, between these stakeholders becomes an obstacle to achieving what we ultimately all aim to do: bringing these children to safety and protecting them from harm. The SUMMIT project coordinated by Missing Children Europe in partnership with the University of Portsmouth (UK), NIDOS (NL), Defence for children-ECPAT (NL), TUSLA (IR), KMOP (EL) and Child Circle (BE), and with the support of the European Commission, aims to contribute to improving effective interagency cooperation in preventing and responding to the disappearance of unaccompanied children. The current report provides for a first deliverable in the project: the analysis and findings of interviews conducted with grassroots practitioners in 7 EU Member States. These findings highlight a number of challenges encountered by professionals working for the protection of unaccompanied children, but also several good practices On 31 January 2016, Europol reported that 10,000 unaccompanied children are unaccounted for after arriving in Europe, with many feared to be exploited and abused for sexual or labour purposes. While systematic and comprehensive data on the disappearance of unaccompanied children in Europe is unavailable to date, it is clear that the rate of children that go missing from care facilities is staggering - and continues to increase in the recent refugee crisis. In 2015, the Swedish coastal town of Trellerborg reported that 1000 out of the 1900 who had arrived in the town had gone missing within the span of a month. The Italian Ministry of Welfare declared that 62% of the children that had arrived between January and May 2015 were unaccounted for. In January 2016, the Federal Criminal Police (BKA) reported that 4749 unaccompanied child and adolescent refugees are considered to be missing, of which 431 were younger than 13-years-old. Each and every one of these children is a child with hopes, dreams and fears, who are entitled to the same human rights as the rest of us. The vast majority have arrived in Europe following long and difficult journeys over land and sea, having left their home because of conflict, war or poverty. Some have been separated from their families during the journey. Some others have been sent to Europe by their parents, who stay behind hoping their child will find a better future in Europe. Once in Europe, some children go missing from care facilities with a specific migration plan in mind, often linked to a wish to be reunited with family members in other Member States. Many run away because of the fear of being sent back to the situation they tried to escape from, or to avoid an unwanted Dublin transfer. Others are groomed by traffickers and end up being exploited in prostitution, forced labour or begging. Irrespective of the reason why they go missing, many of them slip through the net of child protection systems in place that increases the risk of children becoming victims of violations of their basic human rights. Protecting these children is a shared responsibility of all EU Member States, at the level of law enforcement authorities, guardians, reception centres, hotline professionals and more. Too often failing cooperation and coordination, nationally and transnationally, between these stakeholders becomes an obstacle to achieving what we ultimately all aim to do: bringing these children to safety and protecting them from harm. The SUMMIT project coordinated by Missing Children Europe in partnership with the University of Portsmouth (UK), NIDOS (NL), Defence for children-ECPAT (NL), TUSLA (IR), KMOP (EL) and Child Circle (BE), and with the support of the European Commission, aims to contribute to improving effective interagency cooperation in preventing and responding to the disappearance of unaccompanied children. The current report provides for a first deliverable in the project: the analysis and findings of interviews conducted with grassroots practitioners in 7 EU Member States. These findings highlight a number of challenges encountered by professionals working for the protection of unaccompanied children, but also several good practices Details: Brussels: Missing Children Europe, 2016. 110p. Source: Internet Resource: Summit Report: Accessed April 23, 2016 at: http://missingchildreneurope.eu/Portals/0/Docs/Best%20practices%20and%20key%20challenges%20for%20interagency%20cooperation%20to%20safeguard%20unaccompanied%20migrant%20children%20from%20going%20missing.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Europe URL: http://missingchildreneurope.eu/Portals/0/Docs/Best%20practices%20and%20key%20challenges%20for%20interagency%20cooperation%20to%20safeguard%20unaccompanied%20migrant%20children%20from%20going%20missing.pdf Shelf Number: 138792 Keywords: ImmigrationMissing ChildrenUnaccompanied ChildrenUndocumented Immigrants |
Author: Meyer, Peter J. Title: Unaccompanied Children from Central America: Foreign Policy Considerations Summary: Since FY2011, the number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) traveling to the United States from the "northern triangle" nations of Central America - El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras - has increased sharply. U.S. authorities encountered more than 52,000 unaccompanied minors from the region at the U.S. border in FY2014, a more than 1,200% increase compared to FY2011. This unexpected surge of children strained U.S. government resources and created a complex crisis with humanitarian implications. U.S. apprehensions of unaccompanied minors from the northern triangle declined by 45% in FY2015. They increased in the first five months of FY2016, however, and experts warn that significant migration flows will continue until policymakers in the countries of origin and the international community address the poor socioeconomic and security conditions driving Central Americans to leave their homes. The 2014 migration crisis led to renewed focus on Central America, a region with which the United States historically has shared close political, economic, and cultural ties. The United States engages with Central American countries through a variety of mechanisms, including a security assistance package known as the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) and the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). Over the past two years, the Obama Administration has sought closer cooperation with Central American governments to dissuade children from making the journey to the United States, target smuggling networks, and repatriate unauthorized migrants. The Administration also has introduced a whole-of-government "U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America" designed to increase economic opportunity, reduce extreme violence, and strengthen the effectiveness of state institutions in the region. The Administration requested $1 billion through the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to implement the strategy in FY2016, and it has requested more than $770 million through those two agencies to continue implementation in FY2017. The governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are undertaking complementary efforts under their "Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle." Congress has expressed considerable concern about increased migration from Central America, with Members holding numerous hearings, traveling to the region, and introducing legislation designed to address the situation. Although Congress opted not to appropriate supplemental funding for programs in Central America in FY2014, it appropriated more than $570 million for the region in FY2015, which was $241 million more than the Administration originally requested. The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235), also directed the Administration to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the key factors contributing to the migration of unaccompanied children to the United States. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113), appropriated $750 million in support of the Administration's Central America strategy in FY2016. The act also placed a number of conditions on the assistance, requiring governments in the region to take steps to improve border security, combat corruption, increase revenues, and address human rights concerns, among other actions. As Congress debates the Administration's FY2017 budget request and other legislative options to address increased migration from Central America, it might take into consideration a variety of interrelated issues. These issues might include the humanitarian implications of the current situation, the international humanitarian response, Central American governments' limited capacities to receive and reintegrate repatriated children, Central American governments' abilities and willingness to address poor security and socioeconomic conditions in their countries, and the extent to which the Mexican government is capable of limiting the transmigration of Central Americans through its territory. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Services, 2016. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: R43702: Accessed May 25, 2016 at: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R43702.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Central America URL: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R43702.pdf Shelf Number: 138656 Keywords: Child ProtectionHomeland SecurityHuman SmugglingImmigration EnforcementUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: Closed Doors: Mexico's Failure to Protect Central American Refugee and Migrant Children Summary: Tens of thousands of children flee Central America's Northern Triangle - El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras - each year, on their own or with family members, because they have been pressured to join local gangs, threatened with sexual violence and exploitation, held for ransom, subjected to extortion, or suffer domestic violence. Mexican law provides for refugee protection for children and adults who face persecution or other threats to their lives and safety in their home countries. Even so, less than 1 percent of the children who are apprehended by Mexican immigration authorities are recognized as refugees. Closed Doors examines the reasons for this gulf between the need for protection and Mexico's low refugee recognition rates, detailing the formidable obstacles children face in even applying for recognition. Immigration agents frequently fail to inform them of their rights and do not adequately screen them for possible refugee claims. They do not receive state-appointed lawyers or other government assistance in preparing applications for refugee recognition. More dauntingly, most are held in prison-like conditions, leading many children to accept deportation to avoid protracted time in detention. The report concludes with specific steps Mexico should take to address these shortcomings. Mexican authorities should ensure that children have effective access to refugee recognition procedures and end immigration detention of children; and they should provide appropriate care and protection for unaccompanied migrant children by identifying the housing arrangements that are most consistent with their best interests. Details: New York: HRW, 2016. 164p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 7, 2016 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/mexico0316web_0.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Mexico URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/mexico0316web_0.pdf Shelf Number: 139305 Keywords: AsylumHuman RightsImmigrant ChildrenImmigrationRefugeesUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Terre des hommes Title: Illegal detention of migrant children in Switzerland: a status report Summary: Children in the context of migration, whether accompanied, separated or unaccompanied should never be remanded in custody. Migratory status should not be considered as an offence and should not justify the detention of children as such. Details: Cologny, Switzerland: Terre des hommes, 2016. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2016 at: https://www.tdh.ch/sites/default/files/tdh_plaidoyer-ch_en_web_1.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Switzerland URL: https://www.tdh.ch/sites/default/files/tdh_plaidoyer-ch_en_web_1.pdf Shelf Number: 139549 Keywords: Child Immigrants Immigrant Detention Immigrants Juvenile Detention Rights of Children Unaccompanied Children |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "Why Are You Keeping Me Here?" Unaccompanied Children Detained in Greece Summary: Greek authorities registered more than 3,300 unaccompanied asylum-seeking and other migrant children in the first seven months of 2016. Many had fled violence and conflict in their home countries such as Syria and Afghanistan and arrived alone in Greece, their point of entry to the European Union. The country's longstanding shortage of shelter space for children has grown particularly acute in the context of Europe's ongoing refugee crisis. In the absence of sufficient, suitable accommodation, Greek authorities routinely detain unaccompanied children in police stations and detention centers, justifying it as a temporary protection measure in children's best interest. In practice it is anything but. "Why Are You Keeping Me Here?:" Unaccompanied Children Detained in Greece, based on interviews with 42 children, documents the Greek authorities' arbitrary detention of unaccompanied children in unhygienic, degrading conditions in which they are vulnerable to physical abuse, as well as lack of access to care, protection, and other services. The situations documented not only violate children's right to liberty but often constitute inhumane and degrading treatment. The Greek government should put an end to the unjustified detention of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and ensure that there are sufficient and suitable alternatives to detention. The European Union should provide resources to support Greece's efforts. Greece and European Union member states should intensify efforts to relocate unaccompanied asylum-seeking children out of Greece including through family reunification with family members living in other EU countries. Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2016. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 14, 2016 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/greece0916_web.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Greece URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/greece0916_web.pdf Shelf Number: 140282 Keywords: Asylum SeekersChild MigrantsImmigrant DetentionMigrant ChildrenUnaccompanied Children |
Author: United Nations Children's Fund - UNICEF Title: Broken Dreams: Central American Children's Dangerous Journey to the United States Summary: The flow of refugee and migrant children from Central America making their way to the United States shows no sign of letting up, despite the dangers of the journey and stronger immigration enforcement measures implemented after a major increase in numbers in mid-2014. In the first six months of 2016, almost 26,000 unaccompanied children and close to 29,700 people travelling as a family - mostly mothers and young children - were apprehended at the US border.2 Most are from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, which have some of the world's highest murder rates.3 They seek to get away from brutal gangs that target them or poverty and exclusion that deprive them of education and hope. Many also travel north to reunify with their families. Many of the adults and some of the children apprehended at the US border are deported in expedited proceedings, women and young children spend weeks, and at times months in detention, while unaccompanied children may face years of uncertainty as their cases go before immigration courts. If deported, some of them could be killed or raped by the gangs they had sought to escape in the first place. All these children need protection every step of the way - at home, along the journey and at their destination. Thousands never make it as far as the US border. In the first six months of 2016, more than 16,000 refugee and migrant children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras were apprehended in Mexico.4 In addition, hundreds of refugees and migrants die every year in the harsh environment along the Mexico-US border.5 Many more are missing and are feared to have been kidnapped, trafficked or murdered.6 "It is heart-rending to think of these children - most of them teenagers, but some even younger - making the gruelling and extremely dangerous journey in search of safety and a better life. This flow of young refugees and migrants highlights the critical importance of tackling the violence and socio-economic conditions in their countries of origin," said UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director Justin Forsyth. Details: UNICEF, 2016. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2016 at: http://www.unicef.org/media/files/UNICEF_Child_Alert_Central_America_2016_report_final(1).pdf Year: 2016 Country: Central America URL: http://www.unicef.org/media/files/UNICEF_Child_Alert_Central_America_2016_report_final(1).pdf Shelf Number: 147814 Keywords: Asylum SeekersChild MigrantsImmigrantsUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Council of Europe. Lanzarote Committee Title: Protecting Children Affected by the Refugee Crisis from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse Summary: 1. This Special Report is the outcome of an urgent monitoring round launched by the Lanzarote Committee to focus on how Parties to the Lanzarote Convention are protecting children affected by the refugee crisis from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. It covers the situation in the 41 States which were Parties to the Convention at the time the urgent submission for a report was called for by the Lanzarote Committee. 2. The Special Report draws on replies from the Parties to the Lanzarote Convention and other stakeholders to a focused questionnaire. This questionnaire sought to evince answers that would allow the mapping of the Parties' responses to the increased risks of sexual violence that confronts children affected by the refugee crisis. Information was sought on four broad topics: 1) Data; 2) Prevention; 3) Protection; and 4) Co-operation. 3. A number of the systemic challenges that have been brought into sharp focus by the increased numbers of people arriving in Europe looking for international protection are raised by the Report. These challenges can have particularly worrying consequences for children affected by the refugee crisis, exposing them to a risk of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. They are particularly pertinent for both those children who arrive in Europe unaccompanied, and those who go missing after arrival, with their heightened vulnerability posing an increased risk of them falling victim to sexual violence. The Lanzarote Committee commends Parties who have put in places procedures to address such challenges. 4. The Special Report regrets that it remains the case that data collection is sporadic and non-comprehensive across Parties. It is probable that the number of instances of sexual exploitation and abuse is significantly underreported. There are no specific data collection mechanisms or focal points tasked with collecting data on child sexual exploitation and abuse within the context of the refugee crisis. Reasons explaining the difficulties in capturing such data cut across a number of sectors such as limited capacity, insufficient training, abuse not reported due to linguistic or trust issues, or practical difficulties in establishing the number of migrant children on the territory. It is clear that more accurate data would help all relevant actors and stakeholders frame, adjust, and evaluate policies in this field. 5. The uneven distribution across the continent of children affected by the refugee crisis is stark, with some Parties reporting very few or no such children on their territories, whereas other Parties are receiving thousands of such children. Therefore some Parties' child support services are bearing a disproportionately large burden, while others have not tested the implementation of their child protection approaches in this context. 6. Reception centres need to provide adequate protection for children, with prolonged stays in inappropriate conditions increasing a child's risk of exposure to sexual exploitation or sexual abuse. Parties have taken steps to improve the available facilities and lodging solutions for children, and work in this sphere must continue to ensure that children can be helped and assisted in a non-traumatising environment. It is reiterated that unaccompanied children should be separated from adults in reception centres, and that robust complaint mechanisms to report abuse must be effective. Details: Strasbourg: The Committee, 2017. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2017 at: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Lanzarote%20Committee.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Europe URL: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Lanzarote%20Committee.pdf Shelf Number: 145666 Keywords: Child Protection Child Sexual Abuse Child Sexual Exploitation Refugees Unaccompanied Children |
Author: UNICEF Title: A Child is a child: Protecting children on the move from violence, abuse and exploitation Summary: Millions of children are on the move across international borders - fleeing violence and conflict, disaster or poverty, in pursuit of a better life. Hundreds of thousands move on their own. When they encounter few opportunities to move legally, children resort to dangerous routes and engage smugglers to help them cross borders. Serious gaps in the laws, policies and services meant to protect children on the move further leave them bereft of protection and care. Deprived, unprotected, and often alone, children on the move can become easy prey for traffickers and others who abuse and exploit them. Alarming numbers of children are moving alone Many children move alone and face particularly grave risks. In parts of the world, the number of children moving on their own has skyrocketed. On the dangerous Central Mediterranean Sea passage from North Africa to Europe, 92 per cent of children who arrived in Italy in 2016 and the first two months of 2017 were unaccompanied, up from 75 per cent in 2015. At least 300,000 unaccompanied and separated children moving across borders were registered in 80 countries in 2015-2016 0- a near five-fold increase from 66,000 in 2010-2011. The total number of unaccompanied and separated children on the move worldwide is likely much higher. Specific reasons motivate children to undertake journeys alone. Many seek to reunite with family members already abroad. Others pursue their families' aspirations for this generation to have a better life. Perceptions of the potential benefits of children moving, especially to certain destinations, filter through social networks. Other factors include family breakdown, domestic violence, child marriage and forced conscription. Without safe and legal pathways, children's journeys are rife with risk and exploitation Whatever their motivation, children often find few opportunities to move legally. Family reunification, humanitarian visas, refugee resettlement spots, and work or study visas are out of reach for most. But barriers to legal migration do not stop people from moving, they only push them underground. Wherever families and children desperate to move encounter barriers, smuggling in human beings thrives. Smugglers range from people helping others in need for a fee to organized criminal networks that deliver children into hazardous and exploitative situations. Once children and families place their fates in the hands of smugglers, the transaction can readily take a turn towards abuse or exploitation - especially when children and families incur debts to pay smugglers' fees. Europol estimates that 20 per cent of suspected smugglers on their radar have ties to human trafficking - they help children cross borders, only to sell them into exploitation, sometimes akin to contemporary forms of slavery. Some routes are particularly rife with risks. In a recent International Organization for Migration survey, over three-quarters of 1,600 children aged 14-17 who arrived in Italy via the Central Mediterranean route reported experiences such as being held against their will or being forced to work without pay at some point during their journeys - indications that they may have been trafficked or otherwise exploited. Traffickers and other exploiters thrive especially where state institutions are weak, where organized crime abounds, and also where migrants become stuck and desperate. Details: New York: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 2017. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 7, 2017 at: https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/UNICEF_A_child_is_a_child_May_2017_EN.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/UNICEF_A_child_is_a_child_May_2017_EN.pdf Shelf Number: 145948 Keywords: Child Abuse and NeglectChild MaltreatmentChild ProtectionChild Sexual ExploitationChildren Exposed to ViolenceHuman SmugglingHuman TraffickingMigrant ChildrenOrganized CrimeUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action Title: Toolkit on Unaccompanied and Separated Children Summary: This toolkit includes the following: Key international instruments and guidelines relating to UASC Child-specific human rights instruments - United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 1989 - Optional Protocol to the CRC on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, 2000 - Optional Protocol to the CRC on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, 2000 - Optional Protocol to the CRC on a Communications Procedure, 2011 - Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 1998 - Convention Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 182), 1999 - Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Anti-Trafficking Protocol), 2000 - The Hague Conference on Private International Law - Convention for the Protection of Minors, 1961 - Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, 1980 - Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption, 1993, and its Recommendation Concerning the Application to Refugee Children and Other Internationally Displaced Children, 1994 - Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Cooperation in Respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children, 1996 - Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, 1990 Details: s.l.: The Alliance, 2017. 250p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 11, 2017 at: https://childprotectionallianceblog.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/tools-web-2017-0322.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: https://childprotectionallianceblog.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/tools-web-2017-0322.pdf Shelf Number: 147220 Keywords: Child ProtectionChild TraffickingChild WelfareHuman RightsHuman SmugglingRights of the ChildUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse Title: Child Migration Programmes: Investigation Report Summary: Over a period of many years before and after the Second World War, successive United Kingdom governments allowed children to be removed from their families, care homes and foster care in England and Wales to be sent to institutions or families abroad, without their parents. These child migrants were sent mainly to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Government departments, public authorities and charities participated in these child migration programmes and were responsible, to varying degrees, for what subsequently happened to the children. Post-war, around 4,000 children were migrated, mostly to Australia. This report sets out the results of the Inquiry's investigation into the experiences of child migrants, and the extent to which institutions took sufficient care to protect these children from sexual abuse. The investigation also examined the extent to which the institutions involved knew, or should have known, about the sexual abuse of child migrants and how they have responded to any such knowledge. Finally, it considered the adequacy of support and reparations for sexual abuse, if any, which have been provided by the institutions concerned. Although the focus of the Inquiry is on sexual abuse, the accounts of other forms of abuse provide an essential context for understanding the experiences of child migrants. Many witnesses described 'care' regimes which included physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, as well as sexual abuse, in the various settings to which they were sent. Some described constant hunger, medical neglect and poor education, the latter of which had, in several instances, lifelong consequences. By any standards of child care, then or at the present time, all of this was wrong. A former child migrant said his experiences at one school were "better described as torture than abuse", saying he was locked in a place known as 'the dungeon' without food or water for days. Another told of "backbreaking" work on the building of a new school building. Yet another spoke of the failure to give him medical attention, which resulted in the loss of an eye. In some places, there were persistent beatings of boys and girls, and one witness described how he had tried to kill himself at the age of 12. In a particularly awful incident, we heard of the sadistic killing of a pet horse loved by the children, which a group of 15 children were forced to watch as a form of collective punishment for an alleged wrongdoing. This incident took place during what was known as a 'Special Punishment Day' at Clontarf (one of the institutions to which child migrants were sent). This epitomised the brutal and brutalising environment in which many child migrants lived. We heard that there were few, if any, means of reporting abuse and children lived in fear of reprisals if they did so. They were disbelieved and intimidated, often with violence. One witness was told to 'pray' for her abuser, with no further action being taken on the abuse. Another was told not to tell anyone when he reported that he had been raped. For some children, one of the most devastating aspects of their experience was being lied to about their family background, and even about whether their parents were alive or dead. This had a lifelong impact, including on their physical and mental well-being and their ability to form properly, or lost records, effectively robbing these children of their identity. The effects of this carelessness and poor practice cannot be overestimated. The agencies involved in 'sending' children in the migration programmes were mostly voluntary organisations, with a small number being migrated by local authorities. Some organisations, such as the Fairbridge Society and Barnardo's, operated as both sending and receiving institutions, providing schools and homes in the country of migration. Others migrated children to institutions run by other organisations. From evidence available to the Inquiry, there was a sense in which these children were treated by some of the sending institutions as 'commodities' with one institution even referring to its 'requisition' for a specific number of children to be sent to Australia. Many of the voluntary organisations involved failed in their duty to exercise proper monitoring or aftercare, having dispatched children, in some cases as young as 5, to the other side of the world. Although some (such as the Fairbridge Society) had in place a form of post-migration monitoring, these were not robust systems, and some (such as the Sisters of Nazareth, when migrating to Christian Brothers institutions) had no post-migration monitoring system at all. Details: London: The Independent Inquiry, 2018. 174p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed April 28, 2018 at: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/4265/view/Child%20Migration%20Programmes%20Investigation%20Report%20March%202018.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/4265/view/Child%20Migration%20Programmes%20Investigation%20Report%20March%202018.pdf Shelf Number: 149948 Keywords: Child Abuse and NeglectChild LaborChild MigrantsChild MigrationChild ProtectionChild Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationUnaccompanied Children |
Author: Sinchetto, Francesco Title: Unaccompanied and Separated Children along Italy's Northern Borders Summary: Unaccompanied and separated foreign minors have been arriving in Italy for several years. The total number of minors intercepted and registered with Italian authorities over the past six years is 62,672. Since 2011 the number of UASC (Unaccompanied And Separated Children) has risen constantly from year to year, up until a slight fall recorded in the first seven months of 2017 (compared with arrivals in the same period of 2016), with the arrival of 12,656 unaccompanied minors, making up 13% of the arriving migrant population over the past year. Among registered UASC, one in four left reception facilities, and became untraceable3. Such a high dropout rate from centres on the part of minors is chiefly due to the desire to go directly to other States in the European Union. This is partly due to the dysfunctions of Italy's reception system and to the time needed to start and complete the procedures for family reunification and the granting of international protection. In view of the "irregular" nature of these people's status, not in the sense of unlawful presence in the country but rather that of straying from a planned course, characterising the state of migrants in transit, who appear to form a sort of "underground people", these migrants, including minors, do not receive any sort of temporary reception or formal support. This category, present en masse in reality, is not legally contemplated or recognised as such. Thus this group is not governed by any particular rules, and does not receive any protection, including services meeting primary needs. In such a setting, there is a clear use, and need, for activities in support of emergency measures adopted by institutions, humanitarian organisations and civil society. Since 2011 Intersos has been operating a night-time reception centre in Rome called A28 for foreign minors in transit. In five years the centre has provided a safe shelter for more than 4,000 unaccompanied foreign minors in transit in Italy. In 2016 the A28 Centre hosted 1,112 unaccompanied minors from Eritrea, one third of all those arriving in Italy in the same year. Working closely with the centre is the Intersos Street Unit service, created in November 2016 in partnership with Unicef, in order to monitor the territory, promote the service and single out the most vulnerable cases. Following on from this initial project, over the past two years Intersos has broadened its action in the sphere of reception and assistance for unaccompanied foreign minors transiting in Italy or dropping out of official reception channels. In March 2017, in collaboration with Unicef, initiatives were also undertaken in Como and Ventimiglia, in light of the increase in migrant flows in the respective border areas, with the consequent intensification of border checks on the part of neighbouring States and a growing number of "rejected" people in Italy, who are forced to face a stalemate situation with very few prospects. The Como and Ventimiglia projects intend to facilitating the take into care of intercepted unaccompanied foreign minors, 1,070 in Como and 1,418 in Ventimiglia, through the providing of information, support and legal aid. Thanks to collaboration with local organisations and reference institutions, ad hoc pathways for UASC are activated, where possible, starting with access to the international protection application procedure, and including admission to secondstage reception facilities. In Ventimiglia furthermore, a mobile clinic has been operational since April 2017, offering basic medical care to persons outside the reception centres. The most relevant cases in terms of the seriousness of violations committed or complexity of individual cases have been taken up in collaboration with the Associazione per gli Studi Giuridici sull'Immigrazione (Association for Legal Studies on Immigration). As regards family reunification procedures, collaborative ties have been forged with the Safe Passage initiative. Thanks to the support of the Open Society Foundation, the conditions of unaccompanied foreign minors have been monitored along Italy's northern borders, from August to October 2017. This report is the result of this monitoring activity. The research was conducted in connection with the above-described actions, making use of the material gathered during these activities, consisting mainly of direct interviews with minors in Rome, Como and Ventimiglia and information procured by constant dialogue with institutions and the actors of civil society operating in the sector. In localities where an Intersos team is not present on a permanent basis, the research was conducted by means of monitoring visits, interviews with migrants, meetings with the authorities responsible for managing the migratory phenomenon, and counting on permanent cooperation with local associations. Details: Rome: Intersos, 2017. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: July 26, 2018 at: https://www.intersos.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/UASC-along-Italys-northern-borders.compressed.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Italy URL: https://www.intersos.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/UASC-along-Italys-northern-borders.compressed.pdf Shelf Number: 150923 Keywords: Child MigrantsIllegal MigrantsImmigrationMigrantsUnaccompanied ChildrenUnaccompanied Migrant Children |
Author: Kanics, Jyothi, ed. Title: Migrating Alone: Unaccompanied and Separated Children's Migration to Europe Summary: The independent migration of children, while having several characteristics and many links in common with that of adults, has emerged as a specific phenomenon all over the world. The planned, forced or spontaneous decision to abandon the household and country of origin takes on a new dimension when the people involved in a long and often dangerous migration adventure are sometimes just in their early teens. Since the early 1990s, most European countries have been destination or transit points (sometimes both) for these young migrants. When confronted with the migration of unaccompanied and separated children, European national legal frameworks and government policies are known to be in continual conflict between the more or less repressive enforcement of their asylum and/or immigration rules and an ambiguous (but timid) interpretation of the international and national legal instruments created for the care of children 'in need', regardless of their origin or nationality. There is often a marked discrepancy between, on the one hand, the rights to which migrants in general, and child migrants in particular, are entitled according to international legal standards and, on the other, the effective protection they receive and the difficulties they experience in the countries where they live and work and through which they travel. This disparity between the principles agreed to by governments and the reality of individual lives underscores the vulnerability of migrants in terms of dignity and human rights. A major problem for children is that they are considered as migrants before they are considered as children - this automatically lowers their legal protection, as international standards regarding children are much more elaborated and more widely ratified than those regarding migrants. Migrants have rights under two sets of international instruments: first, the core human rights treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the provisions of which apply universally and thus protect migrants; and second, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions that apply specifically to migrants, and to migrant workers in particular. Furthermore, children have rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). But, as with migrants generally, there is no international or regional legislative framework dealing directly with child migrants. Nonetheless, in addition to the ICCPR and ICESCR, norms regarding children's welfare in general and the protection of children from economic exploitation and harmful work are directly or indirectly relevant to children, accompanied or unaccompanied, who are in a process of forced or voluntary movement. Similarly, the protective measures within the CRC, the ILO Conventions on child labour, the UN Protocols on trafficking, and regional instruments are also relevant. Within the European Union (EU) legal framework, the protection of child migrants is very limited and no regional legal framework that adequately addresses this issue is in place. Generally, the ability to migrate or travel legally without an adult is quite limited for children, especially internationally. This means that children migrating alone are more likely to do so irregularly, thus increasing the risk of exploitation or abuse. Research into independent child migration suggests that it is usually older children who are involved in this phenomenon; that child migration is usually highest in regions where adult migration is also high; that independent child migration can be, and often is, a positive decision taken by the child with the aim of improving life opportunities; and that child migrants, like adults, rely on their social and financial resource networks when migrating. The current dominant debate in most European countries is still restricted to the national level and sometimes even to national/regional or local levels. The double or even triple level of competences in most of the national territories implies a significant spread of diverging national practices that shape the treatment of migrant children. The competences regarding immigration and asylum issues (access to the territory, identification, asylum process, immigration status) are generally assumed at national level. However, aspects relating to the care of children (evaluation of the individual situation, reception and care, guardianship or fostering) are often within the competence of regional or local authorities and practices therefore vary widely. This dispersion and confusion, combined with a lack of adequate responses to the main objectives of migrant children, mean that a significant number remain outside the control of the relevant authorities and care institutions. As a result, these unprotected migrant children live in situations of increasing vulnerability and instability as victims of trafficking and exploitation networks or simply surviving on their own, sometimes by committing illicit or unlawful activities. Despite the completion of various research studies on this issue, this reality remains broadly unidentified. The central issues of understanding how this migration is constructed in the contexts of origin, and the different factors playing a role in the migration of these children, require a more extensive examination. To date, hardly any research has been carried out on the children's main countries and regions of origin, which might indicate the main 'push factors' and the motivation behind the increasing number of departures. The main migrant children's profiles, the social and economic situation of their families and the role played by the household and the communities in the migration decision, the choice of the migration route and the function of those encountered during the journey are all key points that remain largely unknown. A better knowledge of these factors will allow not only an understanding of the migration fluxes and phenomena on a more abstract or academic level, but will prove essential if effective protection and respect for these children are to be secured. The desire to find answers to all these questions and uncertainties lay behind the organization of an international conference, 'The Migration of Unaccompanied Minors in Europe: the Contexts of Origin, the Migration Routes and the Reception Systems'. This conference, organized by the research centre MIGRINTER, University of Poitiers-CNRS and the International Juvenile Justice Observatory (based in Belgium) with the support of UNESCO's Social and Human Sciences Sector, was held in Poitiers (France) in October 2007 with the aim of creating a forum for discussion between researchers and practitioners in this field. Experts from over twenty countries participated and exchanged information on three main issues: - a comparative approach to the different legislative frameworks, policies and practices in various European countries and an overview and analysis of the protection offered at European level on the basis of international obligations; - an overview of the situation of children who lack protection in the destination countries; and - an analysis of the situation and definition of childhood and the different profiles of migrant and potential migrant children in the main countries of origin. The present publication brings together the main conclusions of the Poitiers conference. From a selection of the most relevant contributions, it seeks to provide an extensive overview of the main questions and issues outlined above. The contributors come from a wide variety of disciplines, combining mainly legal, sociological and anthropological backgrounds. They generally provide an analytical approach to the different issues from both a descriptive and a critical perspective. The three original parts of the conference have been condensed into two main parts in the book: the first five chapters describe the situation and treatment of unaccompanied and separated migrant and asylum-seeking children in the destination societies; and the following chapters analyse the main contexts of origin of migrant children and the different factors playing a role in migration choices. Details: Paris: UNESCO, 2010. 197p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 26, 2018 at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001907/190796e.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Europe URL: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001907/190796e.pdf Shelf Number: 150926 Keywords: Asylum SeekersChild LaborChild Migrants Child Trafficking Immigration Enforcement Refugees Unaccompanied Children Unaccompanied Minors |
Author: Bipartisan Policy Center Title: Child Migration by the Numbers Summary: The rapid increase in the number of children apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border this year has generated a great deal of attention and controversy. In particular, attention has been focused on children that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) classifies as "unaccompanied alien children" (UAC). In fiscal year (FY) 2013, 82 percent of the 47,000 apprehended children aged zero to 17 fell into this category. The number of UAC apprehended doubled between FY 2009 and FY 2013 and is on pace to nearly double again by the end of FY 2014. As DHS applies it, the term "unaccompanied" does not describe a child/'s travel conditions, but the way the child is processed. In order for an apprehended child not to be classified as unaccompanied, a parent or guardian must prove their relationship to the child. DHS used to extend custody to close family members like adult siblings and grandparents, but shifted to a stricter interpretation in May 2006. Even if the parent/guardian relationship is proven, children who are detained separately from their parents are still classified as unaccompanied. For example, parents who are charged as criminal aliens must be housed in detention facilities where children cannot legally be placed, and a lack of bed space can prevent parents and children from being housed in the same facility. Publicly available data do not reveal how many children are separated from parents, guardians, or family members during DHS processing. Details: Washington, DC: The Policy Center, 2014. 11p. Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief: Accessed October 24, 2018 at: http://bipartisanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/default/files/BPC%20Immigration%20Task%20Force%20-%20Child%20Migration%20by%20the%20Numbers%20June%202014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://bipartisanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/default/files/BPC%20Immigration%20Task%20Force%20-%20Child%20Migration%20by%20the%20Numbers%20June%202014.pdf Shelf Number: 153084 Keywords: Child Migrants Immigrants Immigration Policy Migrant Children Unaccompanied Alien Children Unaccompanied Children |
Author: Arthur, Andrew R. Title: Unaccompanied Alien Children and the Crisis at the Border Summary: The number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) apprehended entering illegally along the Southwest border, which had bottomed out in April 2017 following the inauguration of Donald Trump, surged almost 685 percent by February 2019. Similarly, the number of UACs deemed inadmissible at the ports of entry along that border surged 385 percent between March 2017 and February 2019. Those UACs, and migrants from Central America (from which most of the UACs hail) generally, face great dangers in traveling to the United States. In May 2017, Doctors Without Borders (commonly known by its French acronym "MSF") reported that more than two-thirds of the migrant and refugee populations entering Mexico reported being victims of violence during their transit toward the United States and that almost one-third of women surveyed had been sexually abused during that trip. The United Nations has also reported that the smuggling of aliens is big business for criminal organizations, valued at $3.7 to $4.2 billion a year. The processing of those migrants has in addition placed a huge burden on the Border Patrol, both in terms of manpower and in financial costs for humanitarian aid. Flawed U.S. laws and policies encourage UACs to make that trip to the United States, and encourage the parents and other relatives of those UACs to pay criminal organizations to bring them to this country. In particular, by law, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is required to turn all of those UACs from non-contiguous countries (that is every country other than Canada and Mexico) over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within 48 hours of the point at which they were identified as UACs, for prompt placement in the least restrictive setting "that is in the best interest of the child". In FY 2018, the average UAC spent 60 days in an ORR shelter before being released. Generally, most are released to a parent or other family member in this country, the majority of whom do not have lawful status in the United States. This legal requirement makes the U.S. government a de facto co-conspirator with the smuggling organizations. Not surprisingly, the number of UACs from those non-contiguous countries (especially the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) has surged in recent years as family members in the United States and UACs have exploited this loophole. Those UACs are supposed to subsequently appear for removal proceedings in immigration court after release, but often failed to do so. In fact, in half of all case completions involving UACs, the alien failed to appear for court, compared to an already high average of 25 percent for aliens generally. Details: Washington, DC: Center for Immigration Studies, 2019. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2019 at: https://cis.org/Report/Unaccompanied-Alien-Children-and-Crisis-Border Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://cis.org/sites/default/files/2019-03/arthur-uacs.pdf Shelf Number: 156386 Keywords: Border Security Human Smuggling Illegal Aliens Immigration Enforcement Sexual Assault Unaccompanied Children |
Author: Global Detention Project Title: Immigration Detention in Bulgaria: Fewer Migrants and Refugees, More Fences Summary: KEY FINDINGS: -Despite a 91 percent drop in irregular arrivals since 2015, detention remains a key feature in the country’s response to migration flows. -Conditions in detention are generally substandard and marred by allegations of abuse and poor access to procedural standards. -Asylum seekers are sometimes held in "pre-removal" detention while their claims are processed. -Depending on their nationality, asylum seekers can face severe discrimination, which observers argue is intended to serve as a method of deterrence. -While migration law prohibits the detention of unaccompanied children, it is permitted under asylum law. Details: Geneva, Switzerland: Global Detention Project, 2019. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 19, 2019 at: https://reliefweb.int/report/bulgaria/immigration-detention-bulgaria-fewer-migrants-and-refugees-more-fences-april-2019 Year: 2019 Country: Bulgaria URL: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/GDP_%20Immigration%20Detention%20in%20Bulgaria%2C%202019.pdf Shelf Number: 156524 Keywords: Asylum Law Asylum Seekers Bulgaria Discrimination Immigration Detention Migration Law Unaccompanied Children |