Keeping Children at the Centre: Time for EU solidarity in protecting migrant and refugee children’s rights

In 2016, more than 100,000 children arrived in Europe, of whom over one-third (33,800) were unaccompanied or separated from their families. In the same year, more than 63,000 unaccompanied children applied for asylum in the EU.

One of the central goals of the 2015 European Agenda on Migration was to protect the rights of those in need. However, current EU policies and practices are aimed primarily at reducing the number of migrants and refugees arriving and staying in Europe, which is putting children at risk. 

This paper aims to capture the issues children face on the way to and once they have reached Europe. It makes a central plea for more solidarity – with all children, regardless of their status, with migrants and refugees generally, and between EU member states – to ensure the existence of a robust protection system.