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The Federal Public Service Justice is currently able to assign a guardian to an unaccompanied foreign minor within the normal period of 8 weeks. However, the demand for guardians remains high in Limburg, Antwerp and Brussels, and the Guardianship Service is still urgently looking for additional guardians.

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Eurostat released data on unaccompanied minors granted temporary protection in 21 EU Member States and all EFTA countries between March 2022 and September 2024. Austria, the Netherlands and Lithuania have granted the most temporary protection statuses, in absolute terms, to unaccompanied minors since March 2022. Belgium has granted temporary protection status to 1600 unaccompanied minors during the same period.

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The Federal Judicial Police reveals that unaccompanied foreign minors in Belgium and throughout Europe are recruited by criminal organisations and forced to carry out theft or drug trafficking. The Federal Police draws attention to this invisible phenomenon and asks to make it a priority for action.

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This meeting will bring together the Ombudspersons for children as well as children welfare and guardianship authorities of EU Member States and other countries to have an open discussion on the specific aspects of the rights of third-country national unaccompanied minors. 

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The organisation reports a huge increase in the number of vulnerable young asylum seekers who disappear in Belgium. The number of disappearances could double this year, compared to 2022 which had 136 cases.

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Today, the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, the Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden, Fedasil, Child Focus, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, and the Guardianship Service presented together a guide aimed at preventing and resolving the disappearance of unaccompanied foreign minors.

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The European Migration Network (EMN) Glossary is an essential resource, which offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of approximately 500 terms and concepts related to asylum and migration. Let's focus today on the term "unaccompanied minor" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!
Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: unaccompanied minors

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Fedasil increases the reception capacity for unaccompanied minors. Mid-April 2023, a new center will be set up in the former hotel ‘Lambermont 322’, located along Boulevard Lambermont in Schaerbeek.

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You are from Liège and you want to give your time to unaccompanied foreign minors? Caritas is looking for volunteers who want to meet them and exchange, either by doing activities or by supporting them at school.

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The Court of Justice of the European Union interpreted Article 2(f) and Article 10(3)(a) of the Family Reunification Directive in its decision from 17 November 2022 in the case X v Belgium. An unaccompanied refugee minor residing in a Member State does not have to be unmarried to enjoy the right to family reunification with first-degree relatives in direct ascending line.

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On 16 September 2020, the Interior Committee of the Belgian House of Representatives held a parliamentary hearing on a legislative proposal concerning the prohibition of detention of minors. EMN Belgium contributed to the hearing by presenting the laws, policies and practices in other EU Member States.

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The Federal Public Service Interior has made a short video about foreign unaccompanied minors seeking international protection in Belgium.
Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: unaccompanied minors

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The ChildMove project represents a unique attempt to follow young refugees and migrants as they travel from Libya and Turkey to European shores and onwards, and to allow young people themselves to speak of what it means to be on the move. Join the Migration Policy Institute Europe and Ghent University for a morning coffee and discussion of this ground-breaking study of the experiences of young refugees and migrants who have travelled across Europe, unaccompanied by their families
Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: unaccompanied minors

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Eurostat published a statistical analysis on the number of unaccompanied minors who applied for international protection in 2017. the 31,400 applications represent an important decrease compared to previous years. 

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This interesting conference is organised by the German Contact Point of the EMN. It aims to bring together policy-makers, academics and actors from NGOs and administration in Germany and at EU-level. Therefore, the conference covers a wide range of topics ranging from the arrival of unaccompanied minors to the transition to adulthood.
Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: unaccompanied minors

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In a judgment handed down today, the EU Court of Justice responded to a Dutch prejudicial question on family reunification of (unaccompanied minor) refugees. Following the reasoning of the Court, an unaccompanied minor who attains the age of majority during the asylum procedure retains its right to family reunification.

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New figures published today by EASO show a significant decrease in the number of asylum applications made in the EU in 2017.

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The news release covers main trends on the registration of unaccompanied minors among asylum seekers in the EU in 2015.

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As from 26 March 2015, unaccompanied foreign minors can also qualify for the special protection status when other protection, admission or residence procedures are ongoing.

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The proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council, amending Regulation (EU) No 604/2013, aims at clarifying Member States’ responsibilities for examining the application for international protection of unaccompanied minors

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In the light of a recent judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU, the Commission is proposing to clarify which Member State is responsible for examining applications made by unaccompanied minors.

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The UVCW and El Paso invite actors working with unaccompanied foreign minors in various structures (public centres for social welfare, reception centres etc.) to participate in a multidisciplinary training aimed at providing them with adequate knowledge and skills to assist and enpower this group.
Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: unaccompanied minors

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The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) together with Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), invite you to join a discussion on how the European Union can ensure the rights of undocumented migrant children and their families.

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On 23 October, Maggie De Block answered many questions inter alia related to the European platform for the repatriation of unaccompanied minors (ERPUM).

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The European Commission presented an EU agenda for reinforcing the rights of the child. It includes a series of concrete actions, including promoting specific safeguards and procedural guarantees for children seeking asylum and child specific reception measures.