DOI 10.2837/10006 DR-31-10-599-EN-C European Migration Network Unaccompanied Minors – an EU comparative study Unaccompanied Minors – an EU comparative study • The objective of the EMN is to meet the information needs of Union institutions and of Member States’ authorities and institutions through the provision of up-to-date, objective, reliable and comparable information on migration and asylum, with a view to supporting policymaking in the EU. It provides this information also to the wider public via publications (with European Migration Network CD-ROM) like this one, which presents the fi ndings of the EMN’s study on Unaccompanied Minors, involving twenty-two of its National Contact Points. Published by the Directorate-General for Home Aff airs European Migration Network European Migration Network This EMN Synthesis Report summarises the main findings of National Reports produced by twenty-two of the EMN National Contact Points (EMN NCPs) from austria, Belgium, czech republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, ireland, italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovak republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the united Kingdom, principally covering the period up to mid-2009. In keeping with the EMN’s objective, the purpose of this study was to fill a knowledge gap on policies on unaccompanied minors in the EU, ranging from an assessment of the identified motivation(s) and circumstance(s) for entering the EU, to entry procedures, reception arrangements, including integration measures, detention, return and identified best practices. In addition, the available statistics on unaccompanied minors were collated. The EMN Synthesis Report, as well as the 22 National Reports upon which the synthesis is based, are also available from http://emn.sarenet.es/Downloads/prepareShowFiles.do;?directoryID=115. Several of the National Reports are available in the Member States’ national language, as well as in English. Explanatory Note The 22 EMN National Contact Points who participated in this activity were from austria, Belgium, czech republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, ireland, italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovak republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the united Kingdom . The Member States mentioned above are given in bold when mentioned in the report and when reference to “Member States” is made, this is specifically for these Member States. Disclaimer This Report has been produced by the European Migration Network (EMN), and was completed by the European Commission, in co-operation with the 22 EMN National Contact Points participating in this activity. This report does not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the European Commission, or of the EMN National Contact Points, nor are they bound by its conclusions. copyright clause Reproduction is authorised, except for commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged and the following text accompanies any reproduction: “This Report has been produced by the European Migration Network (EMN), and was completed by the European Commission, in co-operation with the 22 EMN National Contact Points participating in this activity. This report does not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the European Commission, or of the EMN National Contact Points, nor are they bound by its conclusions.” Policies on Reception, Return and Integration arrangements for, and numbers of, Unaccompanied Minors – an EU comparative study produced by the European Migration Network Table of Contents ExEcutivE Summary . .5 1 . iNTRODUCTION . .8 1.1 Methodology. 9 1.2 Definition of “Unaccompanied Minor” . 10 1.3 Other Reports and Studies. 10 2 . POLICY cONtEXT . .12 3 . iNtErNATIONaL aND Eu LEGiSLATIVE FRAMEWOrK . .15 3.1 International Conventions . 15 3.1.1 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951. 15 3.1.2 Hague Convention on the Protection of Children. 15 3.1.3 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 15 3.1.4 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). 16 3.2 Relevant EU acquis. 16 3.2.1 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union . 16 3.2.2 Council Resolution of 26 June 1997 on unaccompanied minors who are nationals of third countries 16 3.2.3 Regulation (EC) No 562/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (“Schengen Borders Code”). 16 3.2.4 Asylum. 16 3.2.5 Family Reunification. 18 3.2.6 Return. 18 3.2.7 Readmission and Other Agreements. 19 3.2.8 Combating Trafficking and Exploitation of Human Beings. 19 3.2.9 EU Financial Instruments. 19 4 . mOTIVATION(S) aND CIRCUMSTANcE(S) FOr ENtERING tHE Eu . .21 Table 1: Overview of the motivations and circumstances identified and/or reported by the Member States for the entry of an unaccompanied minor into their territory. 22 4.1 Fleeing persecution and seeking protection (Asylum). 24 4.2 Family Reunification. 24 4.3 Economic, aspirational reasons . 25 4.4 Joining Migrant / Diaspora Community . 26 4.5 Transit to another Member State . 26 4.6 Victims of Trafficking . 27 4.7 Smuggled . 28 4.8 Medical Reasons . 28 4.9 Abandonment. 28 4.10 Runaways and drifters . 28 5 . ENTRY PrOcEDURES, iNcLuDiNG BOrDEr cONTROLS . .29 5.1 Entry at the Border, including required documentation . 29 5.2 Refusals . 31 5.3 Lodging an Application for Asylum . 32 5.4 Apprehension by national authorities . 33 5.5 Training of Border Guards and/or Police Authorities . 34 2 6 . rEcEPTION ARRANGEmENtS, iNcLuDiNG iNtEGRATION mEaSURES . .35 6.1 Guardianship. 36 6.2 Unaccompanied minors who are victims of trafficking in human beings. 38 6.3 Accommodation. 39 Table 2: Overview of accommodation provided to unaccompanied minors in the Member States (where relevant a distinction between those applying for asylum or not is made). 40 6.4 Disappearances. 47 6.5 Age Assessment. 49 Table 3: Overview of methods used for assessing the age of an unaccompanied minor in the Member States. 50 6.6 Turning 18 years of age/ Ageing out. 54 6.7 Family Tracing. 55 6.8 Family Reunification. 57 6.9 Healthcare. 59 6.10 Education. 61 6.11 Employment . 64 7 . DEtENTION . .66 7.1 National circumstances for using Detention . 66 7.2 Detention within the context of Article 17 of Directive 2008/115/EC (“Return Directive”) . 69 8 . rETURN PRACTICE, iNcLuDiNG rEiNtEGRATION . .71 9 . STATISTICS ON uNACCOmPaNiED MINOrS . .76 9.1 Asylum Applications . 76 Table 4: Overview of Asylum Applications submitted by unaccompanied minors over the period 2004 to 2008. 78 Table 5: Asylum Applications submitted by Unaccompanied Minors in 2008 disaggregated by their country of nationality. 80 Table 6: Asylum Applications submitted by Unaccompanied Minors in 2008 disaggregated by their Sex and Age (Range). 83 9.2 Unaccompanied Minors in Care. 84 Table 7: Unaccompanied Minors in the care of public authorities over the period 2004 to 2008. 85 Table 8: Unaccompanied Minors in the care of national authorities in 2008 disaggregated by their country of nationality. 87 Table 9: Unaccompanied Minors in the care of national authorities in 2008 disaggregated by their Sex and Age (Range). 90 9.3 Unaccompanied Minors in Detention. 92 9.4 Assisted Returns of Unaccompanied Minors. 92 Table 10: Unaccompanied Minors in the detention over the period 2004 to 2008 and for those Member States where data exist. 93 Table 11: Assisted Returns of Unaccompanied Minors over the period 2004 to 2008 and for those Member States where data exist . 93 9.5 Additional Data. 95 9.5.1 Refusals of Entry. 95 9.5.2 Apprehensions, including at the border. ..