MinorMig (1)
Unaccompanied Minor Migrants as Vulnerable Group

Source:

Identification of Necessary Actions,
Transnational Exchange of Experiences
and Development of Protection Mechanisms

The research project aims at analysing this clandestine form of immigration in cooperation with the administrative authorities and social services in Berlin, Florence and Helsinki. The outreach and deficits of existing social work projects concerning the vulnerable group of unaccompanied minors will be documented and evaluated. The projects intends to further develop protection mechanisms, enhance cooperation between the participating institutions and social services, and disseminate the project results throughout Europe.

Cooperating Research Institutions:

The Population Research Institute
The Family Federation of Finland (Väestöliitto)
Dr. Ismo Söderling


Università degli Studi di Firenze
Dipartimento di Science dell' Educazione
Prof. Dr. Giovanna Campani

The research project has been divided into four phases which will be implemented in all three cities simultaneously:

  1. The documentation of the efforts taken in response to unaccompanied minor migrants of the participating institutions (such as social services, migrant self-organisations, youth organisations).
  2. The presentation of institutional activity, on the basis of which protective concepts for irregular minor migrants will be developed in each city. The concepts will be introduced into local politics.
  3. A comparative analysis of the individual project results made in cooperation with all partners shall be used as the basis for formulating protection concepts for this risk group.
  4. Politically responsible persons will be contacted throughout Europe. The project results will be presented and discussed in order to determine possibilities for a local implementation of these protection concepts.

The project results of the three cities will be published in the form of reports in the national language of the respective country. The complete results of the comparative analysis will be published separately. A homepage containing all relevant project information and the project results will be set up to publicise the project.

Over a number of years the immigration of unaccompanied children and minors mainly from Eastern Europe to the EU Member States has been observed. They are sent by their parents to the EU to be protected from persecution and civil war, or they come as homeless minors from the neighbouring regions of the EU. There are signs of their increased economic and sexual exploitation. Their dependency is often strengthened by their irregular status, impeding access to social services and youth help organisations. Many EU-cities have been aware of the problem for many years, yet it is still treated as a taboo. These unaccompanied minor migrants belong to the most vulnerable risk groups in the field of youngsters and children. An improved knowledge of their situation and the development of protection mechanisms is therefore urgently required.

Since the eighties the Berliner Institut für Vergleichende Sozialforschung (BIVS) has been carrying out research on unaccompanied minor migrants. In 1987 it produced an expert opinion on their situation and social measures responding to this in Berlin, commissioned by the Commissioner for Foreigners of the Berlin Senate. The pursuant expert opinion on illegal labour in Germany underlined the vulnerability of illegal minor migrants on the irregular labour market in Germany.

MinMig (2)

Unaccompanied Minor Migrants as Vulnerable Group

At first, the study aims at extending the analyses of the completed project by means of interviewing the minors concerned in three European cities. Secondly, after rendering the results anonymous (which shall prevent the identification of the interviewees), a broader critique of the existing concepts and care programmes shall be accomplished. Thirdly, the results of the interviews will be discussed with representatives of responsible organisations and institutions.

The networks of social care in the three investigated cities have been described and their importance for unaccompanied minors evaluated so far. Now further steps will be taken.

Through an extensive series of interviews with unaccompanied minor migrants in the three cities, these young people will be given the opportunity to have their say. Simultaneously their social environment will be explored. The interviews should gather information about the minors‘ immigration paths and life situations. Furthermore, the real and potential risks faced and their respective survival strategies in an alien environment will be documented, interpreted and compared. In co-operation with the social care institutions concerned, the outcome of this data will lead to the formulation of local policy recommendations.

Without interviewing the young migrants concerned, the project would simply remain at the institutional level, which nevertheless can lead to relevant results about ongoing programmes and the possibilities of networking in this field. In the long run however, no well-founded analysis concerning the effectiveness of existing protection measures can be sustained without taking into consideration the views of the ultimate beneficiaries.

A further aim is to include as broad a spectrum as possible by means of interviewing minors from a diverse range of migrant groups and life situations. In addition, also young people who managed to consolidate their residency status will be made part of the interviews. The ultimate intention is not to simply produce a well-grounded scientific report but also a substantial critique at existing protection measures through consulting the minor migrants themselves.

Country Report Germany (2002)

Experiences of the Concerned Youths and Need for Political Action - The Example of Berlin


Country Report Finland
Unaccompanied Minor Migrants in the European Union
The Example of Helsinki

Country Report Italy
Experiences of the concerned Youths and Need for Political Action - The Italian Case (2001)

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