The phenomenon and Member States' practices

Pages3-5
FRA Focus
3
1. The phenomenon and Member States’
practices
A signif‌icant number of children arrive in EU Mem-
ber States without their parents or other primary
caregiver.8 As Figure 1 shows, according to Euro-
stat, almost 20,000 unaccompanied children sought
asylum in the EU in 2018; over 31,000 did so in 2017.
Most are boys (88%).
More than one in ten children who applied for asy
-
lum in 2017 and 2018 were unaccompanied, as Fig-
ure2 shows.
8 See FRA’s periodic overviews of migration-related
fundamental rights concerns.
Among unaccompanied children who sought asy-
lum in 2017 and 2018, most were nationals of the
following countries: Afghanistan, Eritrea, The Gam-
bia, Guinea, Pakistan and Syria (see Figure 3).
Asylum statistics do not provide the full picture,
however. They do not include unaccompanied chil-
dren who do not apply for international protection,
which is the case with many unaccompanied chil-
dren in France, with Moroccan children in Spain,
and with Albanian children in Italy.
Policies on the return of unaccompanied children
vary considerably across EU Member States. Some–
for example, France and Italy– provide aright to
stay to unaccompanied children.9 The majority of
EU Member States do not prohibit forced returns
of unaccompanied children, but never– or rarely–
remove them in practice. Instead, they provide unac-
companied children with alegal status, at least until
they reach the age of majority.
9 In France, unaccompanied children are covered by the law on
child welfare and not required to hold aresidence permit. In
Italy, aresidence permit for unaccompanied children exists, see
Law No. 47/ 2017, Art.10(1) (a).
Figure 1: Una ccompanied children seekin g asylum
in the EU (2009-2018), by gender,
absolute numbe rs and %
Tota l Boys Girls
2009 12,225 1 0,11 5 2,090
2010 10,620 8,485 2 ,125
2011 11,695 9,655 2,035
2012 12,545 10, 490 2,075
2013 12,73 0 10,655 2,070
2014 23,1 60 1 9,920 3 ,220
2015 95,215 86,430 8, 270
2016 63,25 0 56,415 5,9 90
2017 31,405 27, 795 3 ,585
2018 19, 745 16 ,935 2,7 95
12 %
88 %
Boys
Girls
Source: Eurostat, migr_asyunaa, data extracted on 4 June 2019
Figure 2: Proport ion of asylum-seeking chil dren
who were unaccompanied, 2017 and
2018
UAC
All children
89 %
11 %
Note: UAC = unaccompanied children
Source: Eurostat, migr_asyappctza and migr_asyunaa, data
extracted on 22 July 2019

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