- Target:
- The European parlement
- Region:
- GLOBAL
Together with the kids from Shadow Game we launch the manifesto 'Protect children on the move'. With four recommendations to national and European politicians to better protect unaccompanied refugee children.
If a child has to flee to another country, the child must be protected and helped in that country. This is stated in Article 22 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
On paper, refugees have the right to apply for asylum in a safe country. But to get there, they have to make a perilous journey. This is the most dangerous for children. If they flee alone, there is no one to protect them against human trafficking and crime, for example.
But they face many more problems on their way. Some countries through which children travel treat them as adults. If the children ask for help, they often have to wait a long time. Sometimes they are even - against the rules - forcibly sent back by countries to where they came from. And once children arrive in a safe country, then there is often little attention for their trauma and for getting used to their new country.
Nobody can agree with the current situation with children on the move. Things have to change! We believe that:
Children must be able to apply for asylum in a safe way.
Children who reach Europe via Italy or Greece must be brought to other countries in Europe so that they do not have to continue the dangerous journey alone.
There should be no violence against children at the borders in Europe.
The asylum procedure must take children into account. More attention should be paid to dealing with trauma and faster family reunification.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Protect children on the move petition to The European parlement was written by 123 van der helm and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.