Elsevier

The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 169, February 2016, Pages 332-333.e1
The Journal of Pediatrics

European Paediatric Association Pages
The “Invisible Children”: Uncertain Future of Unaccompanied Minor Migrants in Europe

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.10.060Get rights and content

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The Case of Children Traveling to the Mediterranean Southern Sea Borders of EU

During the first 6 months of 2015, more than 106 000 children had asked for asylum to the EU.2 The number of unaccompanied migrant children entering the EU was increasing. During the last 10 years and until recently, the sea coasts of Italy and Greece represented the main southern border gate for migration to Europe. Particularly in Italy, although there were 5821 unaccompanied minors in December 2012, their number progressively rose to 6319 (>8.4%) and 10 536 (>31.7%) in 2013 and 2014,

The South EU Countries as a Migratory Bridge to the North EU Countries

The children, often unaccompanied, leave their home countries and family looking for a better future and new opportunities, often escaping wars, hunger, natural disasters, human rights violations, and poverty. Some of them are just looking for protection in the EU, and others pass through the southern borders of EU heading to different destinations within the Union. Therefore, the statistical representation of minors who do not enter the asylum procedure in EU is frequently difficult and

Unaccompanied Migrant Children's Rights

Unaccompanied migrant minors have the same rights as national children, and are legally protected by the Convention on the Rights of the Child signed by a multiplicity of United Nations member nations, including all EU countries.14, 15 All separated children have the right to be clothed, fed, and accommodated, and to receive proper health care, to be educated, and to be informed in a language they understand. Overall, they must be given the opportunity to thrive and to achieve their full

Conclusions

Reaching destinations in Europe has become dangerous for unaccompanied children. These migrant minors tend to avoid official protection programs and may abandon the government shelters. Their particularly weak social condition renders them often “invisible” to the authorities and bureaucracy and unknown to public opinion. These socially fragile children are exposed to exploitation, violence, abuse, neglect, and to the alarming phenomenon of vanishing. The European Pediatric Association–Union of

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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