The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has estimated that in 2015, there were
globally no fewer than 100 000 unaccompanied migrant and refugee children.
Europol has stated that at least 10 000 unaccompanied child refugees have gone
missing after arriving in Europe. There are various reasons why a child may be
unaccompanied or separated, including persecution of the child or the parents;
international conflict and civil war; human trafficking and smuggling, including sale by
parents; accidental separation from the parents over the course of their journey; and
searching for better economic opportunities.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has identified a number of protection
gaps in the treatment of such children, including that unaccompanied and separated
children face greater risks of, inter alia, sexual exploitation and abuse, military
recruitment, child labour (including for foster families) and detention. In many
countries, unaccompanied and separated children are routinely denied entry to or
detained by border or immigration officials. In other cases, they are admitted but are
denied access to asylum procedures, or their asylum claims are not handled in an age
and gender-sensitive manner. Some countries impede separated children who are
recognised as refugees from applying for family reunification. Many such children are
granted only temporary status, which ends when they turn 18, and there are few
effective return programmes. The vulnerable situation of migrant unaccompanied
and separated minors worldwide, and the threats they face need to be addressed,
particularly with the significant increase in their number in the current ‘refugee crisis’. The 2016 State of the Union speech called for a strong and immediate protection of
unaccompanied and separated minors, in line with the EU's historical values.