According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 5.4 million migrant children living in Europe; whereas the latest figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show that 32 039 children arrived in Greece, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria in 2017 and almost half of them were unaccompanied or separated children.

Despite these big numbers, which are not showing signs of decreasing, Member States are still facing challenges implementing the Commission’s recommendations on the protection of children in migration, said former Prime Minister Alfred Sant when voting in favour of a resolution on protecting children in migration at the European Parliament.

Sant said that in most of the EU countries, the lack of reliable information, and lengthy family reunification and guardian appointment procedures, together with the fear of being detained, sent back or transferred, is resulting in children absconding, leaving them exposed to trafficking, violence and exploitation. Moreover, the lack of child protection services and activities for children at reception sites has also a detrimental impact.

“For this reason, I voted in favour of this resolution of the European Parliament, which is a call for action for Member States.”

The interest of children is a priority and this resolution urges Member States to speed up with relocation procedure, to provide psychological aid, to ensure that all children have access to child protection officers upon their arrival, including in hotspots and facilities hosting children and at border-entry points, said Dr Sant.