Mind the gap: transitioning into undocumented adulthood in the European Union : durable solutions in the best interests of unaccompanied migrant children
Mind the gap: transitioning into undocumented adulthood in the European Union : durable solutions in the best interests of unaccompanied migrant children
Date
2023
Authors
Guha Thakurta, Sheila
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Abstract
Unaccompanied children whose asylum claim is denied in the European Union risk being returned to a
country where their protection needs are not safeguarded. The international human rights framework
requires host countries to identify durable solutions in the best interests of unaccompanied children.
This conflicts with the interests of the European Union to combat irregular migration and deter
individuals who do not qualify for asylum. States provide unaccompanied children whose claim for
asylum was rejected and who cannot be returned a temporary right to stay, until these children turn
eighteen and obligations of the State to protect their rights as children no longer exist. They remain or
become undocumented upon ageing out and are then restricted from accessing rights and services
which allow them to participate in society. For unaccompanied children who do not qualify for asylum,
no durable solution in the best interests of the child is identified. This thesis aims to seek common
ground between the best interests of the child with interests of the State to control migration flows, to
identify a framework through which EU member states can find durable solutions for unaccompanied
children, which provide more certainty about their legal status.
Description
Second semester University: University of Coimbra
Keywords
European Union,
migrations,
unaccompained migrant children,
asylum,
irregular migrations