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Recommendation 2172 (2020)
Missing refugee and migrant children in Europe
1. Referring to its Resolution 2324 (2020) on
missing refugee and migrant children in Europe, the Parliamentary
Assembly emphasises the importance of preventing child refugees
and migrants from going missing and of doing everything possible
to find children who have gone missing, in order to avoid them falling victim
to violence, abuse, human trafficking and organ trafficking.
2. While the Council of Europe does not take specific action
in relation to missing refugee and migrant children, some of its
bodies and instruments may be of added value in preventing the disappearance
of these children. Therefore, the Assembly recommends that the Committee
of Ministers:
2.1. invite the States
Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking
in Human Beings (CETS No. 197) and the States Parties to the Council
of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual
Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (CETS No. 201) to share national experience
in preventing the disappearance of child refugees and migrants in
the context of human trafficking or sexual exploitation;
2.2. invite the States Parties to the European Convention on
Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (ETS No. 30) to consider co-ordinated
strategies for mutual assistance and the exchange of information concerning
missing refugee and migrant children as well as unidentified dead
children, for instance by making use of Interpol’s Yellow and Black
Notices and the Schengen Information System;
2.3. recognising the work of the Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities of the Council of Europe, especially its Resolution
428 (2018) and Recommendation
414 (2018) “Unaccompanied refugee children: the role
and responsibilities of local and regional authorities”, encourage
the Congress to continue addressing this issue as well as that of
migrant street children as set out in its Resolution
271 (2008) on the social reintegration of children living
and/or working on the streets, especially in relation to measures
to prevent children going missing;
2.4. invite the Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child
(CDENF) to examine policies to prevent the disappearance of migrant
children in the context of its work on guardianship and its review
of Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)9 of the Committee of Ministers to
member States on life projects for unaccompanied migrant minors.
3. Recognising the concrete action to protect children fleeing
war, violence and persecution carried out in the framework of the
Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Refugee and Migrant
Children in Europe (2017-2019), the Assembly commends the special
focus given by the plan to unaccompanied children. It therefore
asks the Committee of Ministers to give high priority to the evaluation
and follow-up to the action plan, and to support the promotion and
use of the tools developed within its framework. Renewed priority
should be given to this area, to ensure continuity with the work
already achieved.