Skepticism, stigmatisation and securitisation: the culture of suspicion and disbelief towards unaccompanied minors. The securitisation of unaccompanied minors in Greece

Abstract

By means of a case study on the Netherlands, this thesis aims to answer the question to what extent the pretext of securitised migration has impeded the relocation efforts of unaccompanied minors from Greece. The Netherlands was chosen because this Member State is currently unwilling to participate in the relocation scheme. To answer the research question, the author investigated academic, legal as well as parliamentary documents. The results indicate that unaccompanied minors have not been securitised according to the Copenhagen School, as they have not been forthrightly presented as security threats. Nevertheless, this thesis contends that unaccompanied minors have been securitised under an overarching ‘governmentality of unease’, conforming to the Paris School. It concludes that the securitisation of migration has reached such high proportions, that even the most vulnerable kind of migrants have been securitised which has obstructed their relocation. This thesis strongly urges the Netherlands - as a founding father of the EU and a government that is home to The Hague, the International City of Peace and Justice - to change its position to ensure compliance to international and EU law, safeguard cohesion between Member States and to guarantee long-term security.