UNICEF's 'Children Uprooted' campaign is a broad communications campaign focusing on refugee and migrant children. As part of this campaign, UNICEF has urged governments and partners to realize a Six-Point Agenda For Action to:
The PROGUARD project in the European Guardianship Network is a promising project to strenghten effective guardianship and cross-border coordination across Europe.
The provision of quality guardianship to unaccompanied children is key if they are to receive an appropriate level of care and protection and if they are to achieve their full potential. Quality guardians can play complementary roles of ensuring that all decisions are made in the best interests of the child and contributing to the provision of safe and effective decision making by State actors.
In 2014, Morocco adopted the National Immigration and Asylum Strategy. It is in this context that the new Hijra wa Himaya project, co-funded by the European Union and UNICEF, promotes the rights of migrant children in Morocco.
Context
The number of children traveling alone across borders has been increasing since 2010. It accounts for 10% of all migrants.
Italy’s volunteer guardianship model relies on private citizens who are willing to support integration of unaccompanied migrant children. Following expressions of interest from citizens, the Ombudsman’s office selects, screens and trains the guardians.
Upon arrival, unaccompanied minors in Germany are generally assigned to a youth welfare office that acts as a preliminary representative. The child is placed into child-specific facilities and not detained while the youth welfare office conducts a primary screening considering the best interests of the child. The child is then assigned in a regular procedure of custody to a foster/family-based care.
In the end of 2014, after the crisis declared in Honduras due to the important migration of minors, unaccompanied minors, the Government created the Task Force for Migrant Children. It is composed by different entities, as the First Lady Office, the International Cooperation Institution, the Sub Secretary of Consulate and Migrants Issues or the Sub Secretary of Human Rights and Justice. This Task Force is based on the collaboration among institutions in the government, together with other instances of international cooperation, city councils, media, as well as the Chamber of Commerce.
Guatemala through its Consular Network, provides psychological assistance to children and adolescents in countries of transit and destination. Currently, this assistance is provided at the Guatemalan Consulates in Mcallen, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona, and Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico.
The public and private centres are in charge of receiving, providing accommodation and security to children, as well as placing them in families throughout the country