Hungary - IOM has launched a new project to assess and assist unaccompanied minors in Europe. This European Commission funded initiative brings together leading children rights NGOs and relevant government partners to carry out assessments in the ten European countries, which are experiencing high numbers of unaccompanied minors, namely Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom.

As part of the project, interviews will be carried out to identify the most urgent needs of unaccompanied minors. The project also includes interviews with former unaccompanied minors, to learn about their experiences and gather suggestions on how to best assist migrant children who are without caregivers. The "Best Practices for a Coordinated Approach to Assist Unaccompanied Minors in the EU" project will also seek to identify gaps in assistance and to outline which programmes have the greatest impact in assisting unaccompanied minors. The findings will be included in a final report with recommendations for effective service provision. In addition, information and awareness raising leaflets will be distributed to unaccompanied minors to inform them about their rights and options.  

The 18-month project will conclude with an international conference to share the assessment findings and discuss a common European approach towards assisting unaccompanied minors. "Unaccompanied children are especially vulnerable, as they have left all that is familiar to them – family, home, school, friends, language and culture," says Project Coordinator Dana Graber Ladek. "This project is another important step to ensuring the rights of migrant children."

This project builds on several initiatives that IOM has carried out in Europe to support unaccompanied minors and to build the capacity of non-governmental organizations that provide assistance to these vulnerable children. The European Union is experiencing an increase in unaccompanied minors, or children under age 18 who migrate to the EU and are without a parent or guardian.

The exact number of these children is difficult to determine, but in 2008 over 11,000 applications for asylum were requested by unaccompanied minors in 22 European Member States. This is a 40 per cent increase from 2007. Children end up in this situation for any number of reasons including: to escape from war, poverty or persecution; to join family members; to access education, health and other services; as a result of separation from caregivers during their travel to another country; and increasingly, children also are trafficked for sexual or labour exploitation. 

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For more information, please contact: Dana Graber Ladek IOM Budapest Tel: +36 1 472 2505 E-mail: dgraber@iom.int