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. 

For more information, please contact:

Dana Graber Ladek

IOM Budapest

Tel: +36 1 472 2505

E-mail: "mailto:dgraber@iom.int">dgraber@iom.int