Regarding the meeting of EU interior and justice ministers
Osnabrück, March 9, 2023 – Today, the interior and justice ministers of the European Union are meeting to negotiate a common asylum and migration policy. Together with its partner organization <em>Equal Rights Beyond Borders,</em> the children's rights organization terre des hommes is calling for the rights of unaccompanied refugee minors to be protected during this meeting.
“Approximately one in three asylum seekers in the EU is a minor. When Brussels once again negotiates border protection and cooperation with third countries, it must not be forgotten that this is ultimately about the rights and fate of countless children and young people,” explained Sophia Eckert, migration expert at terre des hommes . “Their rights are currently being trampled on at the European Union’s external borders.” As a Joint statement by Equal Rights Beyond Borders and terre des hommes The report shows that minors are being detained on the Greek island of Kos and their social, cultural, and economic rights are being grossly violated. They are held in a so-called "safe zone" within a closed center on Kos under the strictest security measures, without any prior individual assessment.
terre des hommes and <em>Equal Rights Beyond Borders</em> are calling for all possible measures to be taken at both the EU and national levels to protect the rights and well-being of children and young people entering the EU and to ensure that they are adequately housed and cared for. "Children's rights are never merely an add-on, but obligations that must be taken seriously," says Sophia Eckert. "Our appeal to EU ministers is therefore: human rights and the protection of children's welfare must finally take center stage in European discourse again. We demand: child welfare instead of detention."
Instead of negotiating how to keep refugees out at the EU's borders and beyond, ministers in Brussels must find solutions to ensure that those seeking protection in the EU are treated in a manner that respects human rights and children's rights. The starting point for European migration and refugee policy must be a return to humanity and human values that see refugee children and young people first and foremost as children – regardless of their origin or residency status. "The rule of law means that the EU finally adheres to the legal standards it has set for itself," says Robert Nestler, Executive Director of <em>Equal Rights Beyond Borders.</em>
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