The phenomenon and Member States' practices
Pages | 3-5 |
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-
ure2 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 aright 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 alegal 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 aresidence permit. In
Italy, aresidence 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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