2020/296
9/5/2020
ROME – The International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) today called upon European Union countries to resolve the dilemma of unaccompanied minors, respond to their protection requests and to accelerate the family unification process for them.
“The European Day has always been a day of unity, so we call on the members of the federation to work together to end the problem of stranded refugees in general and minors in particular,” the Rome-based International Federation said in a press release on the occasion of Europe Day.
IFRD emphasized moral responsibility that the dilemma of unaccompanied minors in the camps of Moria in Greece, Melilla in Spain, Cali in France. The cessation of violations of the prohibition of refoulement – to forcibly return refugees or asylum-seekers to a country where they might face persecution or a severe violation of their rights – should be resolved.
IFRD stressed that European countries should not arrest children for immigration-related reasons. They are obligated to provide appropriate care for unaccompanied children and that under international law, public health measures should be proportionate, non-discriminatory, and depend on the available scientific evidence.
The International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) highlighted the need to resolve the dilemma of minors unaccompanied by their parents in light of the risk of an outbreak of the Corona Virus (Covid-19) pandemic and to save them from staying in crowded and dirty cells as this poses a threat to their safety.
IFRD called for ending all forms of detention of minors unaccompanied asylum seekers, ensuring they are accommodated in places that provide them with adequate social separation and hygiene, supplied with the necessary food, water, and health care, as well as legal aid.
