Print
See related documents

Report | Doc. 15026 | 07 January 2020

Missing refugee and migrant children in Europe

Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons

Rapporteur : Ms Serap YAŞAR, Turkey, NR

Origin - Reference to committee: Doc. 14417, Reference 4343 of 24 November 2017. 2020 - First part-session

Summary

Migrant and asylum-seeking children are particularly vulnerable and are therefore in need of special protection against the multiple dangers they face along their journey: violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking and exploitation. Many forms of violence against migrant and refugee children lead to their disappearance or await those whose trace is lost, as they “vanish” into clandestine networks which remove them ever further from the protection and care to which they are entitled, first and foremost as children, then as migrants and refugees.

This report describes the situation with respect to missing refugee and migrant children, underlining the difficulty in knowing its actual dimensions. It examines the legal provisions which apply and makes recommendations aimed to better protect children and avoid disappearances. Member States should ensure that undocumented child migrants are registered and identified with public authorities and that an individual guardian is appointed on reception to an unaccompanied child refugee or migrant. Refugee and migrant children have the right to family reunification and should be accommodated as far as possible with their families in accordance with each child’s right to live with their parents as enshrined in Article 22 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A. Draft resolution 
			(1) 
			Draft resolution adopted
by the committee on 2 December 2019.

(open)

B. Draft recommendation 
			(2) 
			Draft recommendation
adopted by the committee on 2 December 2019.

(open)

C. Explanatory memorandum by Ms Serap Yaşar, rapporteur

(open)