INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPENDIUM
OVERVIEW AND USE
Reflecting on real concerns about the situation
of migrant and refugee children, Eurochild
and SOS Children’s Villages International have
mobilised members and partners in 12 coun-
tries to illustrate practices from across Europe
on protecting their rights. The 16 case studies
offer lessons from the ground on how services
can ensure refugee and migrant children get
the necessary protection and individualised
support. They help gather learnings from
interventions where the mainstream child
protection services can provide quality family
and community-based care to respond to the
specific needs of refugee and migrant children,
and identify outstanding challenges and gaps.
This publication is meant to be a useful resource to:
a) share practices and learning opportunities at local level
b) support (sub-)national and EU level advocacy in the field of
refugee and migrant children for collective influencing
c) inform and promote a stronger rights-based approach to
the EU’s migration agenda. This publication also aims to be a
helpful tool to offer advice to policy makers on the investment
priorities and long-term benefits of realising the rights of every
child for society as a whole
All migrant and refugee children who arrive in
Europe must be treated first and foremost as
children. Therefore, their specific and individ-
ual needs as children must be addressed. They
have the right to be protected and adults have
the duty to protect them, in line with European
values, international and European law on the
rights of the child.
Integrated child protection systems 2 that place
the child at the centre, reflect the UNCRC, and
ensure that all essential actors and systems –
education, health, welfare, justice, civil society,
community and family – work in concert, are
needed to meet the specific needs of migrant
and refugee children, and to prevent them from
falling through the cracks.
The practical solutions and the learnings from
the ground documented in this publication are
expected to function as a source of inspiration
for government and civil society actors to
ensure that children arriving in Europe are
assured a safe and nurturing environment for
their full development.
The publication uses a rights-based 1 foundation
and places the emphasis on engaging all actors
to ensure respect of the rights of the child in the
context of migration. It has a particular focus
on supporting refugee and migrant children
in order to prevent any form of violence.
Furthermore, it stresses the need to foster their
development and inclusion in society while
providing adequate reception conditions and
care meeting children’s individual needs.
1 _ UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), General comment No. 13 (2011): The right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence,
18 April 2011, CRC/C/GC/13, http://www.refworld.org/docid/4e6da4922.html.
2 _ European Commission, 9th European Forum on the rights of the child,
‘Coordination and cooperation in integrated child protection systems’ (30 April 2015):
https://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/sites/antitrafficking/files/european_forum_on_the_rights_of_the_child_2015_-_reflection_paper.pdf.
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