Republished from MigraMundo
The current influx of displaced people forced by wars, conflicts, climatic events, violence and persecution is the largest since the end of the Second World War. In 2015, images of people swimming across the ocean in small boats and children dying on the way made the front pages of newspapers and showed the world the desperation of those fleeing their countries in search of more dignified living conditions.
However, after the initial commotion, which led countries like Germany to initially accept more than 1 million refugees, conservative political parties spared no effort to present asylum-seeking migrants as a problem for local populations.
The result of this dehumanizing campaign has been a tightening of migration policies and increasing complaints of human rights violations.
The situation of migrant minors in Europe and around the world
According to a 2018 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 70.8 million people are in forced displacement, more than half of whom are children and adolescents and 138,600 of whom are unaccompanied by their guardians.
In 2018, the EU registered 19,700 applications from unaccompanied minors, representing 10% of all asylum seekers under the age of 18.
In 2019, there were around 13,000 unaccompanied minors in Spain. Currently, there are around 1,800 unaccompanied children struggling to survive in the Greek Islands.
Human rights violations on the European continent
Unfortunately, the news of human rights violations continues to exist. The European continent has 260 concentration camps spread across all its member states, as if they hadn't learned from a painful past that no good story can be told in such places.
The Council of Europe's Action Plan revealed in 2019 that all countries on the European continent have detention centers for children under 18, in explicit disobedience to Article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, considered one of the most widely accepted human rights protection instruments in history, having been ratified by all countries except the United States.
France was also denounced in 2018, in a report released by a solidarity organization that told of the situation of 12-year-olds suffering verbal and physical violence, being deprived of water, food, blankets and the presence of their legal guardians.
At the end of 2019, a boat carrying 100 migrants was rescued off the coast of Libya by the Italian NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans. Among the crew were 8 pregnant women and 22 children under the age of 10, with reports of hypothermia, mistreatment and torture.
However, even with all this information, the Italian government did not allow the ship to enter its waters and the vessel remained adrift for five days until it received formal permission from the coastguard to dock, and was still fined 300,000 euros by the Italian authorities.
These are just a few recent reports of situations that have taken place in Europe and which demonstrate the continent's lack of commitment to the migratory crisis and the promotion of human rights in relation to underage migrants.
Portugal to welcome refugee children
Portugal has gained prominence in the international press when it comes to migration. However, it seems that not every type of migrant is welcome in the land of Cabral.
The Portuguese government is repeatedly denounced for keeping children in detention for periods of up to two months. Studies show that in 2019, around 77 children were detained at Lisbon airport, 23 of whom were unaccompanied.
The Portuguese Council for Refugees maintains the Casa de Acolhimento para Crianças Refugiadas (CACR), where migrant minors are supposed to be sent immediately, whether or not they are documented. However, in the face of complaints made last year, a representative of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) reported in October 2019 that the CACR are overcrowded and that this makes it impossible to comply with the rules.
On the other hand, SEF itself has released data stating that between 2014 and 2018, Portugal received only 188 asylum applications from unaccompanied minors, revealing that it is not among the main destinations for refugees. There's an account that doesn't seem to close!
Portugal has also been condemned by the United Nations Committee against Torture for the excessive use of force, lack of alternatives to detention, poor conditions in the facilities and charging entry fees to external entities, such as lawyers, in the Lisbon airport facilities.
The way in which the SEF conducts asylum applications is also criticized, as there is an omission of relevant information, such as the presence of survivors of torture, rape or other forms of violence. The reports also indicate that there were a total of 1,849 spontaneous asylum requests, with 503 identified as being from vulnerable people and the refusal rate being close to 70%.
The impact of neglect on migrant children
Child migrants suffer various forms of violence throughout their lives, including institutional violence committed by the authorities of countries that have pledged to protect them. Moreover, it is important to note that almost 90% of migrants find refuge in developing countries, explicitly showing that the European continent is still a long way from paying off its historical debt to the countries they have exploited for years.
Children abandoned in unhealthy places are exposed to physical risks such as hunger, thirst and sexual abuse, as well as suffering from psychological disorders such as depression, self-mutilation and suicide attempts.
There are also cases in which teenagers, desperate because of the lack of opportunities, unable to go to school or work, end up committing petty theft and other violence, being criminalized twice: for being a migrant and for having committed an illegal act.
It is urgent that we demand a commitment from international authorities to provide adequate support for those who are considered to be the future of humanity. But while we continue to rob them of the present, will they have the privilege of a future?
English
Portuguese 
Italian 
Spanish