EUROPEAN STATES IN THE FACE OF THE VULNERABILITY OF UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Keywords:
unaccompanied foreign minors, vulnerability, child protection, asylum seekers, refugees, European Union, Romania.Abstract
In the context of an increasing complexity and amplification of international migration flows, the reception and care of unaccompanied foreign minors is a European problem currently affecting all the Member States. Despite homogenous legislative frameworks and EU reglementations, the practice of policies is marked by wide disparities from one country to another. The aim of this article is to reflect on the impact of migration categories on the social and political treatment of the vulnerability of unaccompanied foreign minors in Europe. In a comparative approach, we focus on the situation in Romania, a country with little experience in the management of refugees and asylum seekers. Although frequently confronted with this phenomenon during recent years, the Romanian society is still insufficiently informed in the field, whereas public and media debates are intensifying as an echo of recent dramatic events in Western countries, generated by the conflicts and the crisis in the Middle East. In the matter of unaccompanied minors asylum seekers, Romania offers reception conditions and specific support for this category of vulnerable children. However, professional training, public awareness, the involvement of local institutions, and intensified international collaborations must still be viewed as priority areas of intervention and development in order to improve the life quality of these children and adolescents.References
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