La Strada Documentation Center

Returns and Separated Children

Document number
1758
Date
2007
Title
Returns and Separated Children
Author/publisher
Save the Children, The Separated Children in Europe
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Research/Study/Analysis,
Keywords
Jyothi Kanics, Diana Sutton, The 1997 EU Resolution on unaccompanied minors who are nationals of third countries, Child Victims of Trafficking, Separated Migrant Children, Identification, Guardian, Family Tracing, Age Assessment, Freedom from Detention, Interim Care, Health, Education, Training, The Asylum or Refugee Determination Process, Remaining in a Host Country/Country of Asylum, Family reunification, Integration, Adoption, Return,
Summary
Separated children who are illegally resident or have temporary status are one of the most vulnerable groups of people in the EU. Separated children may be seeking asylum because of fear of persecution or the lack of protection due to human rights violations or armed conflict in their own country. They may be the victims of trafficking for sexual, labour or other exploitation, or they may have travelled to Europe to escape conditions of serious deprivation. Children may be illegal residents because they entered the EU illegally or because their asylum application has been rejected. Besides illegal residents, there are a large number of children who have temporary status on humanitarian grounds. In many cases this kind of temporary status expires when the child reaches 18. As a consequence, among the adults that are illegal residents are many young people who received a residence permit as a child and integrated into the host country, but who subsequently lost their residence permit upon reaching the age of 18.
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