Context
More than 1.3 million people have crossed the Mediterranean since 2015, taking potentially perilous journeys to flee conflict, instability and persecution across the Middle East and Africa.' With the Balkans border closures, more than 62,590 people are currently stranded in Greece, while following the signing of the controversial EU-Turkey deal in the first months of 2016, 14,640 people are still being held on the islands. Such restrictions have also shifted the focus to Italy, where 2016 marked the deadliest year on record for thousands of refugees and migrants crossing the Central Mediterranean to reach Italian shores.
Along the route, children face extortion by smugglers, sexual abuse and exploitation, violence and trafficking. Many have been living for months in detention centres, which lack the right protection, information, and services they so desperately need. Yet despite proposals made by Europe for an immediate response to the crisis such as the relocation and resettlement schemes, we are still experiencing the European failure to ensure children's rights and safety are guaranteed.
Advocacy priorities at EU level
1) Improve reception conditions for refugee and migrant children
Too often reception procedures are not in the best interest of the child. This includes determining children's identity, assessing their age, their specific needs, as well as identifying a guardian or arranging temporary care solutions for unaccompanied children. These problems lead to prolonged uncertainty about children's legal status and future. Many children have lost trust in the institutions and measures intended to guarantee their rights, safety and well-being and they eventually disappear from the radar, increasing their exposure to smugglers and human traffickers.
Save the Children is therefore calling for:
• A reformed asylum system by EU members, guaranteeing the strongest possible protection for children.
• Reformed age assessment and identification procedures, which are in line with child friendly minimum standards.
• Education and health services that all refugee and migrant children to have access to in Europe.
• Effective durable solutions for all unaccompanied children.