Missing unaccompanied migrant minors in the EU and the need for a homogenous legal framework

The high numbers of missing incidents among the approximately 20.000 unaccompanied migrant minors registered in the EU in 2018 alone (cf. EUROSTAT 2019), bring to light the inevitable need of reviewing the different regulatory guidelines in the EU countries. The vulnerability of the unaccompanied migrant minors is increasing due to their lack of a social network and guardians at their location while simultaneously they risk relying on personal networks for information.

The reasons why state intervention cannot fight the human trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation, in which these minors may be found, effectively, are numerous: the fragmented data, the insufficient cooperation of different stakeholders, the lack of training of professionals, the confusion about who is responsible for an unaccompanied migrant minor, poor services and supervision at the shelters all feed into the complexity of the issue. Hence, the conclusion is that the vastly heterogeneous legal approaches and understanding of the cases prevent the equal treatment of missing unaccompanied migrant minors in comparison to other missing children within the member states and lead to the escalation of this crisis that showed a sudden rise in 2015 and failed to be addressed ever since.

The ChildRescue Whitepaper attempts to analyse the current legal situation and make recommendations on potential improvements to support the interests of the children rather than those of the nation states.

Read the full report here.