The protection of rights of young unaccompanied children in Europe - Policies and practices

In recent years, in particular after 2015, tenths of thousands of unaccompanied children have arrived in Europe, mostly in Greece and Italy, escaping from war, conflicts and other hardships they were faced with in their countries of origin. A considerable number of them are very young (under 14 years) and extremely vulnerable. The challenge for Europe, in line with the obligations deriving from UNCRC, is to offer them a safe, appropriate environment to live and to carefully examine and protect all their rights, including their protection from violence and exploitation and access to education, health and social participation. In this direction and following EU action plans and decisions, European states are expected to further share responsibilities, collaborate and take all appropriate measures to fully protect the rights of these children.