THE RECEPTION AND CARE OF UNACCOMPANIED MINORS IN EIGHT COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION COMPARATIVE STUDY AND HARMONISATION PROSPECTS Spain - France- Great Britain - Greece – Hungary - Italy – Romania - Sweden FINAL REPORT – DECEMBER 2010 Project co-funded by the European Union’s Fundamental Rights and Citizenship programme This study has been carried out under the supervision of Laurent DELBOS (France terre d’asile), project coordinator, On the basis of research done by Marine CARLIER (France terre d’asile) Maria de DONATO (Consiglio Italiano per i Rifugiati) Miltos PAVLOU (Institute for Rights, Equality and Diversity) In collaboration with Matina POULOU (i-RED), Antonio GALLARDO & Pilar MARTIN (MPDL - El Movimiento por la Paz), Nicoletta PALMIERI and Eleonora BENASSI (CIR) The complete report (French, English) and the summaries (French, English, Italian, Greek) are available at http://www.france-terre-asile.org/childrenstudies The opinions expressed in this document are those of its authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission 2 Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 6 Main abbreviations .................................................................................................................................. 7 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 9 I. Knowledge of the phenomenon .................................................................................................... 11 A. Definitions ................................................................................................................................. 11 B. Statistical data ........................................................................................................................... 13 C. Profiles ....................................................................................................................................... 16 II. Application of migration policies to unaccompanied minors ....................................................... 19 A. Access to territory ......................................................................................................................... 19 B. Right of residence ...................................................................................................................... 24 1. Systematic recognition of a right of residence while still a minor: Spain, France, Italy, Romania ......................................................................................................................................... 27 2. Possible illegal residency while underage: Greece, Hungary, Sweden, Great Britain ........... 30 C. Removal from the territory ....................................................................................................... 35 1. Removal generally based on the conditions in the country of return: Italy, Sweden ........... 36 2. Removal generally based on the minor’s desire: Spain, France ............................................ 39 3. Cohabitation of several forms of returns: Great Britain, Hungary, Romania........................ 42 4. Removal on the same basis as for adults: Greece ................................................................. 45 5. Summary and statistics on the return of unaccompanied minors ........................................ 47 6. The consideration of the best interests of the child in removal procedures ........................ 48 III. Asylum and international protection ........................................................................................ 52 A. Legal representation of the asylum-seeking minor ................................................................... 56 B. Processing of the application .................................................................................................... 61 C. Reception of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors .............................................................. 72 D. Implementation of the Dublin II regulation .............................................................................. 73 IV. Trafficking and exploitation ....................................................................................................... 77 3 A. The identification of unaccompanied minors who are the victims of trafficking ......................... 77 B. The protection of unaccompanied minors who are the victims of trafficking .......................... 82 1. Taking into care under ordinary law (Spain, France, Greece, Great Britain, Hungary, Sweden) ......................................................................................................................................... 82 2. Specific care provisions (Italy, Romania) ............................................................................... 84 V. The recognition of minority and the need for legal representation ............................................. 86 A. Age determination..................................................................................................................... 86 1. Age determination primarily based on a medical assessment: Spain, France, Italy, Romania 88 2. Age determination that considers the youth’s story and situation: Great Britain, Sweden . 90 3. The texts provide for a medical assessment for age determination, but this is rarely used: Greece, Hungary ............................................................................................................................ 93 B. The implementation of legal representation ............................................................................ 96 1. A single legal representative: Spain, Italy, Romania ............................................................. 96 2. Several successive legal representatives: France, Hungary, Sweden .................................... 98 3. Absence of a true legal representative: Great Britain, Greece ........................................... 100 VI. Taking into care and integration within the territory ............................................................. 102 A. Social protection ...................................................................................................................... 102 1. The various reception models from unaccompanied minors ............................................. 102 2. Runaways and the disappearance of minors taken into care ............................................. 114 3. The extension of protection after the age of 18 years ........................................................ 116 B. Schooling and professional training ........................................................................................ 118 1. Access to schooling .............................................................................................................. 118 2. Access to professional training ............................................................................................ 125 C. Access to healthcare ................................................................................................................ 128 Conclusion: widely ranging laws and practices ................................................................................... 135 Appendix 1 - Summary of the recommendations for European institutions ...................................... 138 Appendix 2 – Charts modelling the laws and practices in the 8 studied countries. ........................... 142 Appendix 3 - Reference international and European standards ......................................................... 148 4 United Nations................................................................................................................................. 148 European Union ............................................................................................................................... 148 Council of Europe ............................................................................................................................ 149 Appendix 4 – National laws ................................................................................................................. 151 Spain ................................................................................................................................................ 151 France .............................................................................................................................................. 151 Greece ............................................................................................................................................. 151 Hungary ........................................................................................................................................... 152 Italy .................................................................................................................................................. 152 Romania ........................................................................................................................................... 152 Great Britain .................................................................................................................................... 153 Sweden ...........................................................................................................................................