Teenager at Belen reception centre, Saltillo, Mexico image: Worms/Caritas
Children migrate alone because their families want to protect them against violence or hunger, or want them to send money back to help the family. Children migrating alone to other countries are vulnerable to abuse. Caritas has issued a statement today, calling for better protection for them and a stronger focus on their needs.
According to a 2010 study by Catholic Relief Services (Caritas member in the USA), abuses facing unaccompanied Central American children in Mexico ranged from robbery, extortion, intimidation, verbal abuse, and physical abuse, the last two being the most frequent.
The CRS study says children suffered abuse while in transit, when apprehended, while in detention or during the deportation or repatriation process. Caritas members and church bodies in other parts of the world have reported similar situations of abuse.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child will discuss the contents and implications of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the context of international migration during a ‘Day of General Discussion’ on 28 September 2012.
Caritas asks for better protection of unaccompanied minor migrants and respect for their best interests. The Caritas recommendations are underpinned by two case studies prepared by Caritas Belgium and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services.
“People who migrate alone face great difficulty even as adults. Imagine how much more frightening migration is for a child,” said Martina Liebsch, Advocacy and Policy Director for Caritas Internationalis. “Governments and organisations must work together to protect these most vulnerable migrants.”
Migrants who are minors should not be held in detention. In some countries where the law prohibits detaining children for immigration reasons, increasing numbers of migrant children are nevertheless being kept in detention facilities without the protection they are entitled to under the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Governments should invest in resources to achieve durable solutions for unaccompanied child migrants. They should set up systems to determine the child’s best interest, such as independent panels to decide which long-term solution would be best.
Governments should work in close partnership with non-governmental organisations that serve unaccompanied migrant and refugee children, such as NGOs providing guardians, helping children restore or maintain contact with their family or counselling them as they heal from the trauma of separation.
Source: Caritas Internationalis
