Displaying 1 - 10 of 97
Abstract
This article compares and contrasts two humanitarian emergencies and their impact on Nepal: these are the Nepal earthquake in 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It explains how each emergency has impacted children without parental care or at risk of family separation, with specific reference to orphanage trafficking, voluntourism, child institutionalisation and family preservation. In relation to each emergency, the article considers the role of disaster preparedness; the roles of the Nepal government, the international community and civil society; and the significance of one…
Abstract
How is care arranged for unaccompanied refugee minors at residential care institutions, and what kind of conditions do these arrangements constitute for young persons' well‐being and development? Informed by developmental perspectives that consider young people's development through participation across contexts in everyday life and by research into how parents in ‘ordinary’ families organize care, we developed a study based on interviews with 15 unaccompanied refugee minors and their professional caregivers at residential care institutions. The interviews were analysed…
Abstract
The article examines how unaccompanied young refugees in Sweden relate to and talk about their everyday lives and life plans during a time of transition from childhood to adulthood. We regard them as navigators and emotional beings embodying social situations, relationships and sentiments in their habitus throughout their lives affecting their life plans and acting to build capital in social fields. Their narratives show that they all have a life plan. However, disruptions and adjustments of life plans occur, often related to their birth families, deeply embodied in their habitus…
Abstract
Background
While many studies focus on specific aspects of Unaccompanied Migrant Minors’ (UMMs) health, especially mental well-being, there is a lack of tools comprehensively assessing their needs. To fill this gap, we developed and validated a questionnaire to thoroughly assess unAccompaniEd miGrant mInorS’ physical, psychological, legal, spiritual, social and educational needs (AEGIS-Q).
Methods
This work consisted of three stages. The first one involved an extensive literature review. Given the results of the review, a first draft of the questionnaire was developed and…
This article from the journal of Pediatrics argues that the treatment of migrant children at the U.S. southern border fulfills the three criteria for torture according to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and Rome Statute. These criteria are: severe pain and suffering, purposeful, and state consent. The article includes a call to action for pediatricians and child health professionals to "collaborate with other advocates and advocacy organizations to forge local, national and international responses to stop and prevent…
Abstract
The current Common European Asylum System (CEAS) includes several measures to protect unaccompanied minors. New CEAS proposals launched in 2016 continued to expand some of the existing safeguards but also introduced a more punitive approach towards asylum-seekers, sanctioning and preventing secondary movements and possible abuse of the asylum system. These measures need to be viewed against the backdrop of the so-called ‘refugee crisis’, creating a policy climate more focussed on control and deterrence. This equally affects unaccompanied minors, who struggle to enjoy the rights…
Abstract
This case study explores the arriving process of an unaccompanied minor refugee in Germany and his perception of the psychosocial support he received. The aim is to elaborate possibilities to support refugee adolescents' arrival processes adequately. Two interviews—theme‐centered and narrative—were conducted and afterwards examined by a group of five researchers who used experts' validation as the analyzing tool. Four main dimensions were identified contributing to the complex dynamics in psychosocial work with unaccompanied minor refugees: (a) the distinct need for self‐…
Abstract: This article analyzes developments in the forms of social work with young refugees and the legal framing of such work in Germany from 1990 to the present. In particular, it addresses the reactions of politicians and the child and youth welfare system to the sharp rise in the number of refugees in 2015 and 2016, and the concomitant significant increase in the number of unaccompanied minor refugees. It underlines the need for an approach based on children’s rights, and the necessity for social workers, especially those involved in helping youth, to resist the policies of deterrence…
Abstract
Since 2011, the war in Syria has resulted in the displacement of 12.2 million people. Over 5.6 million have fled Syria to seek asylum in neighbouring countries, while 6.6 million have been internally displaced. Family separation, with significant psychological, social and economic implications, is a key concern for those who flee violence and cross international borders. This qualitative study sought to understand the causes of separation among Syrian families in Jordan and the obstacles to family reunification. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 85 Syrian…
Abstract
Background
Migrants’ journeys can be non-linear and directed towards abstract destinations, with endings better marked by periods of integration rather than arrival in any particular place. This study explores how male unaccompanied migrant children’s interactions with child protection staff in Greece shape their future trajectories as migrants.
Methods
The transcripts of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 26 youth who were placed in accommodation facilities for unaccompanied minors in Greece were qualitatively analyzed using inductive coding. Attention was paid to…