Interact – Towards a more efficient cooperation across borders for the protection of children Practical guidance on preventing and responding to trafficking and disappearances of children in migration With financial support from the “Rights, Equality and Citizenship 2014-2020” Programme of the European Union. This publication reflects the views only of the authors. The European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Developed in the framework of the EU co-funded project SUMMIT (2016) – Safeguarding Unaccompanied Migrant Minors from going Missing by Identifying Best Practices and Training Actors on Interagency Cooperation and updated in the framework of the Interact Project within the Amina programme (2019), Safeguarding Migrant Children Across Europe ©2019 Missing Children Europe This handbook has been co-produced by Missing Children Europe and ECPAT UK With special thanks to all the stakeholders who were willing to share their experiences, practices, and tools. Layout: Kapusniak Design All rights reserved. Any reproduction or presentation of this publication can only take place if the relevant copyright is respected. Contents Acronyms and abbreviations 5 1. Introduction 7 Aim of the handbook 7 Target group of professionals 9 Key terminology 12 2. Framework 16 3. Principles 20 Introduction 20 Always a Child: a vision of how to fulfil the rights of children in migration 22 4. Children at risk of trafficking as a specific target group 28 5. Perspectives for Action 32 5.1 Prevention 32 Detecting, identifying and referring the child in need of protection 34 Collection of identifying information 37 Appointing a guardian 44 Informing and hearing the child 45 Child-friendly way to provide important information and generate trust 47 Assessing the likelihood of disappearance and (re-)exploitation 54 Risk assessment 54 Elements to be taken into account when assessing the risk that a child could go missing 55 Family tracing 67 Training actors to be better informed 69 Responding to protection needs 70 Foster care and care plans 70 Actions to be taken when the child is at risk of being (re)trafficked 73 3 Cooperation between actors and across borders 79 Collaboration with other agencies in prevention activities 79 Identifying counterparts and allies within the country and across borders 80 Information sharing 81 Memorandum of understanding or protocols of cooperation 88 Formalisation of cooperation across borders 89 5.2 Response 90 Responsibility for a case of a missing child in migration 92 Reporting of a missing child in migration 94 Who to report to? 95 Actions to be taken after the disappearance 100 Cooperation with other agencies in response to a missing unaccompanied child 105 Protocols of cooperation 106 Cross-border cooperation 109 Proactive cooperation 110 The European network of hotlines for missing children 112 European network of 116 000 hotlines for missing children Cross-border cooperation template 114 Cooperation in cases when a child is trying to locate the family and vice versa – ‘matching’ 119 European network of 116 000 hotlines for missing children Template for child(ren) seeking parents or family members 123 5.3 After care 131 Non-punishment of forcibly committed crimes 133 Avoid re-traumatisation 134 Taking the views of the child into account 135 5.4 Summary template on ownership, complementarity and coordination between different agencies involved. 137 Annex I – European Model Protocol of Cooperation between Law Enforcement and Civil Society Organisations in Cases of Missing Children 141 Annex II – Existing tools and networks 147 Annex III – Interact Contact Booklet 149 4 Acronyms and abbreviations AMINA Safeguarding Migrant Children Across Europe CONNECT Identifying good practices in, and improving, the connections between actors involved in reception, protection and integration of unaccompanied children in Europe (Project) EASO European Asylum Support Office EC European Commission EU European Union EUROPOL European Union’s law enforcement agency FRONTEX European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union IMPACT Improving Monitoring and Protection Systems Against Child Trafficking and Exploitation (Project) INTERPOL International Criminal Police Organization IOM International Organisation for Migration KMOP Family and Childcare Centre LEA Law Enforcement Agency MASH Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs NGO Non-Governmental Organisation 5 NRM National Referral Mechanism PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder UN United Nations SUMMIT Safeguarding unaccompanied children from going missing by identifying best practices and training actors on interagency cooperation (Project) UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNCRC or CRC United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 6 1. Introduction Aim of the handbook When a child in migration goes miss- To prevent and respond to a child ing or is at risk of going missing from in migration going missing or fall- care, this situation creates a cross- ing prey to exploitation, practi- roads of different circumstances, laws tioners with different backgrounds and actors. The migration dimen- are required to work together in a sion of the child’s situation frequently coordinated and efficient way. These aggravates the risks of disappear- actors include law enforcement pro- ances and exploitation, as the child fessionals, social workers, reception is often in a precarious situation. It professionals, guardians, employees also means the responses to the of 116 000 hotlines and others. disappearance and exploitation need to be tailored to this specific This handbook aims to stimulate context. Child protection principles, and disseminate practices on how migration and asylum laws, and spe- to better cooperate in prevention, cific responses to disappearances response and after care of miss- – including law enforcement inves- ing or exploited children in migra- tigation – need to come together tion. This handbook is an updated to prevent and respond to the dis- version of the Summit Handbook appearance of an unaccompanied “Practical Guidance on preventing child. In addition, challenges related and responding to unaccompa- to human trafficking, including labour, nied children going missing” (2015), criminal and sexual exploitation have and is hence building on both the to be taken into account. The often results of the report “Best prac- very complex situation of a missing tice and key challenges for inter- child in migration requires a multi-dis- agency cooperation to safeguard ciplinary and often a cross-border unaccompanied migrant children approach in order for the risks con- from going missing” (2015) and fronted by the child to be mitigated, the Simulations Report “Towards a and their rights and needs to be met. more efficient cooperation across 7 border for the protection of chil- at the EU and national level for an dren” (2019). The latter analysed improved transnational coopera- the outcome of the simulations that tion framework. took place in six countries1 on two fictive cases of trafficking and miss- This handbook does not compre- ing children in migration: Abena hensively address general practices (13, Eritrea) and Qiro (16, Iraqi in the care of children in migration, Kurdistan). The report drew from but only elements that are linked to the conclusions of these cases to preventing and responding to their formulate policy recommendations disappearances and exploitation. 1 Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Sweden and the UK. 8 Target group of professionals Who should use this handbook: This handbook is addressed primarily at all stakeholders who work directly with unaccompanied children or with disappearances of children and can – or should – have a role to play in: 1. Preventing children in migration from going missing 2. Preventing children in migration from exploitation 3. Responding to the disappearance of a child in migration 4. Responding to the exploitation of a child in migration 5. Providing aftercare to a formerly missing and/or exploited child in migration These stakeholders typically include: > law enforcement agents (frontline police officers, investigators, …) > carers (guardians, legal representatives, social services, reception centre workers, …) > hotlines for missing children (call managers, case managers, operators, …) > immigration officials It is recommended that stakeholders using the handbook share it with their partners and other actors working on cases of (missing) children in migration to facilitate cooperation. Tools available in this handbook should be part of a process of interagency collaboration, to achieve the envisaged effect. 9 The following key agencies and customs, immigration services, bor- actors play a primary role: ders and financial police etc. (1) Law Enforcement The agency has no executive pow- Agencies (LEA) ers and its officials are not entitled to conduct investigations in the National police forces: this group member states or to arrest suspects. includes both local police and coor- Europol, in providing support through dinating units specialised in missing information exchange, intelligence cases or in supporting the work of analysis, expertise and training, can officers at the local level. contribute to the executive measures carried out by the relevant national Interpol: an international police authorities. organisation with 194 member