UN Committee condemns Switzerland over failure to protect children in removal
In a recent finding, the Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded that Switzerland violated the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for failing to take due diligence in assessing a child’s best interests in a case involving the removal of their family from Azerbaijan. The ruling comes as Swiss authorities are facing increasing legal challenges regarding its detention decisions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
EU Court condemns Dutch practice of keeping unaccompanied children in limbo before returning them at 18
In the case TQ v Staatssecretaris van Justitie en Veiligheid, which concerned an unaccompanied child who was to be returned to Guinea on his 18th birthday, the EU Court of Justice stated (i) that EU member states have an obligation to take into account the best interests of the child at all stages of the return procedure; that (ii) a child cannot be returned when reception facilities are absent, and (iii) the Return Directive does not allow for Member States to issue return decisions that cannot directly be enforced - Member States must refrain from keeping children in limbo until their 18th birthday, and then forcibly return them, because that is at odds with the child’s best interests.
First emergency shelter opens for homeless unaccompanied children in Paris
This February, the first emergency shelter for homeless unaccompanied children opened in Paris. The shelter is specifically meant for unaccompanied children who are appealing the result of their age assessment. The shelter opened after years of advocacy to create care facilities for this vulnerable group of children, who are currently left to fend for themselves.
Unaccompanied children detained in the UK due to failing national transfer scheme
Data obtained by the UK Child’s Commissioner has shown that between April and September 2020, 80 unaccompanied children were detained after crossing the Channel to the UK. One of the children had been detained for 65 hours, with no proper place to sleep or access to fresh air. The detention of unaccompanied children upon arrival is arguably due to failing of the national relocation scheme. The UK government has acknowledged that the scheme is in need of reform but no changes have been implemented yet.
Migrant children and families left without support in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Various sources have confirmed the inhumane circumstances in which migrant children and families are currently trying to survive in Bosnia and Herzegovina, often residing close to the Croatian border. Save the Children reported that around 50 unaccompanied children had been found sleeping rough, with no access to schooling, healthcare and proper housing. Media coverage confirms the use of violent push-backs by Croatian border guards to whomever tries to cross the border.
UN Committee condemns Switzerland over failure to protect children in removal
In a recent finding, the Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded that Switzerland violated the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for failing to take due diligence in assessing a child’s best interests in a case involving the removal of their family from Azerbaijan. The ruling comes as Swiss authorities are facing increasing legal challenges regarding its detention decisions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
EU Court condemns Dutch practice of keeping unaccompanied children in limbo before returning them at 18
In the case TQ v Staatssecretaris van Justitie en Veiligheid, which concerned an unaccompanied child who was to be returned to Guinea on his 18th birthday, the EU Court of Justice stated (i) that EU member states have an obligation to take into account the best interests of the child at all stages of the return procedure; that (ii) a child cannot be returned when reception facilities are absent, and (iii) the Return Directive does not allow for Member States to issue return decisions that cannot directly be enforced - Member States must refrain from keeping children in limbo until their 18th birthday, and then forcibly return them, because that is at odds with the child’s best interests.
First emergency shelter opens for homeless unaccompanied children in Paris
This February, the first emergency shelter for homeless unaccompanied children opened in Paris. The shelter is specifically meant for unaccompanied children who are appealing the result of their age assessment. The shelter opened after years of advocacy to create care facilities for this vulnerable group of children, who are currently left to fend for themselves.
Unaccompanied children detained in the UK due to failing national transfer scheme
Data obtained by the UK Child’s Commissioner has shown that between April and September 2020, 80 unaccompanied children were detained after crossing the Channel to the UK. One of the children had been detained for 65 hours, with no proper place to sleep or access to fresh air. The detention of unaccompanied children upon arrival is arguably due to failing of the national relocation scheme. The UK government has acknowledged that the scheme is in need of reform but no changes have been implemented yet.
Migrant children and families left without support in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Various sources have confirmed the inhumane circumstances in which migrant children and families are currently trying to survive in Bosnia and Herzegovina, often residing close to the Croatian border. Save the Children reported that around 50 unaccompanied children had been found sleeping rough, with no access to schooling, healthcare and proper housing. Media coverage confirms the use of violent push-backs by Croatian border guards to whomever tries to cross the border.