Separated, Asylum-seeking Children in European Union Member States
This report examines the experiences and views of separated asylum seeking children and adults responsible for their care. It addresses the need to incorporate children's views and accounts of their experiences into work that seeks to inform policy action. The report is based on the interviews with 336 separated children from different countries - mainly originating from Afghanistan (22%), Morocco (just over 10%), Somalia (also just over 10%) and Iraq (9%) - as well as 302 adults responsible for assisting or working with these children across 12 European Union Member States (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom).
The main findings:
• The children had experienced various forms of accommodation, but preferred smaller facilities. Adults agreed that these are better suited to their needs. Large centres are often overcrowded and do not always provide adequate living and sanitary conditions for children.
• Children were on the whole satisfied with the care and support provided by social workers, sometimes expressing great appreciation for the affection they showed towards them. Adults suggested that the number, qualifications and training of social workers should be improved.
• Children had mixed experiences of healthcare. Most were satisfied with the medical treatment and the behaviour of medical staff. However, problems identified included lack of medical screening upon arrival, insufficient attention to health complaints, and, in one case, denial of specialist medical treatment.
• Children's cultural norms and values were not always taken into consideration with regard to food, health and schooling, as well as in the context of the conduct of legal procedures concerning them, including the asylum interviews.
• Children and adults saw recreational activities, and in particular sports, as vital activities and a source of strength, but opportunities for these varied between and within countries. Access to television and internet were mentioned as important and affordable sources of information and entertainment, allowing children to have news of their home country, but sufficient access was not always available.
• Children appreciated education and wanted to attend school. Their experiences, however, varied; those who had learnt the language and attended normal classes with local children were more satisfied. Children complained about the limited information provided on educational possibilities.
• Children wanted to interact more with peers from the host country, because this gave them a sense of „belonging‟ and improved their language skills. Some, however, indicated that they felt more comfortable with people from their own country or ethnic group.
• Many children were not fully aware of the responsibilities of a guardian or even whether they had one or who this was. Even some adult respondents - not guardians themselves - were unsure of a guardian's role; for example, if this entailed only legal or also welfare support. There was often reference to delays in assigning a guardian.