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Children in Migration
Survey
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Identification
1. Name of the project/practice
Report on ‘Humanitarian consequences of family separation and people going missing’
2. Name of submitting person/organisation/practitioner
Red Cross EU Office
3. Role of the submitting person/organisation/practitioner in the good practice
Co-author
4. Type of organisations implementing the practice
Academia/University
National authority
Regional authority
Local authority
Non-governmental organisation
International organisation
Private organisation
Private person
Other type of organisation
4.1. Please specify type of organisation if different than the options above
5. Description of the lead organisation
- The Red Cross EU Office is a membership office representing the 28 National Red Cross Societies in the EU, the Norwegian Red Cross, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Red Cross EU Office works with Member States to develop joint recommendations that aim to influence EU policies so that the vulnerabilities faced by migrants are reduced. It also scrutinises European developments that could impact the implementation of members’ work, as well as supporting them to elaborate and coordinate joint proposals to access EU funding. The British Red Cross is part of the National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. This makes the British Red Cross part of a worldwide movement. The British Red Cross follows seven fundamental principles: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity, Universality. - The International Committee of the Red Cross is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. - The Swiss Red Cross is the national Red Cross society for Switzerland. The Swiss Red Cross is a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
6. Name and description of partner organisations
Scope and activities
7. Type of activity
Capacity-building and training of duty-bearers (national, regional, local authorities, others involved in delivery of services) to respect rights
Services delivered directly to children (including on access to their rights) (e.g. child-sensitive information, support services, clinics (mobile or other), reception, transnational cooperation, etc.
Promoting rights-based responses and actions (e.g. advocacy, working with communities, implementing standards)
Community engagement (e.g. local volunteers or outreach, inclusion, neighborhood initiatives)
Other type of activity
7.1. Please describe other type of activity (if the type of activity is not listed above)
8. Sector
Immediate protection needs on arrival / humanitarian relief (e.g. individual needs assessment)
Identification and registration (e.g. child-friendly biometric enrollment, measures to prevent and to respond to unaccompanied children going missing, age assessment procedures)
Reception: accommodation (e.g. reception related measures to promote and respond to children going missing, foster care, semi-independent living, housing for families, different forms of alternative care for unaccompanied children)
Reception: access to services (educational support, access to health care, assistance to newborns or toddlers, psychosocial support, leisure, integration-related measures)
Access to status determination procedures/procedural safeguards (guardianship services, multidisciplinary age assessment, family reunification/unity, family-tracing, prioritisation of children’s status determination procedures (urgency principle), legal assistance, child-sensitive information)
Prevention of deprivation of liberty (General Comment No 23 UNCRC) / non-custodial solutions
Durable solutions (best interests determination, integration, return, resettlement or reunification with family in a third country)
Other sector
8.1. Please describe other sector (if the sector is not listed above)
9. Target group of children in migration
All children
Unaccompanied or separated children
Children in families
Children with disabilities
LGBTQI children
Children seeking international protection
Teenagers close to adulthood
Child victims of trafficking
Child victims of violence
Child victims of sexual violence
Other target group of children in migration
9.1. Other target group of children in migration (if the target group is not listed above)
10. Specific target of the practice
Boys
Girls
All children
11. Target group based on age
0-18 years
0-3 years
4-6 years
7-12 years
13-18 years
Other age group
11.1. Please specify the age group
12. Keywords to describe the good practice
Age assessment
Capacity-building
Child-sensitive information
Children with families
Data collection
Dublin
Education
Non-custodial solutions
Family reunification
Family-tracing
Foster care
Guardian
Guardianship
Healthcare
Humanitarian relief
Identification
Integration
Leisure
Local community
Psychosocial support
Reception
Semi-independent living
Sport
Training
Trauma-informed practice
Unaccompanied children
13. Time frame
13.1. Start date of activity
Date
13.2. End date of activity
Date
14. Geographical scope
EU
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kosovo
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
14.1. Other geographical scope
The findings can apply to more countries within the EU
15. Region, municipality or locality concerned
16. General description of activities
The research explores the humanitarian consequences of family separation and people going missing due to war, conflict and perilous migratory trails. The activity contributes to shed light on the experiences of women, men, young people and children who are separated from their family members and how this affects their health , well-being and integration. This publication is based on the experience shared by the British Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Red Cross EU Office, the Swedish Red Cross and the Swiss Red Cross as part of different initiatives aimed at developing their engagement and role in protecting, preserving and restoring family links and facilitating family life and family unity. The first part of the publication includes two chapters that attempt to shed light on the humanitarian consequences of family separation due to war, conflict and migratory trails, and the needs of family members of missing and separated persons as well as reunited refugee families in Switzerland and Great Britain. The second part of the publication explores the Movement’s experience in addressing the humanitarian cost of family separation and people going missing. This part examines the role that ICRC and National Red Cross Societies play in addressing the needs of separated and missing persons including children and their families in various contexts. Finally, the key findings and suggestions of this publication are summarized as recommendations.
17. Objectives of the activities
This publication aims to increase awareness on the humanitarian consequences of family separation and people going missing during perilous migratory journeys. It further attempts to provide an overview of the work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in this field, explain how the Movement provides this service and why it is so important to so many people
18. Results
States and policy makers are provided with recommendations that help them build important humanitarian safeguards to prevent family separation and disappearance and respond to the specific needs of their families, in line with their international obligations. Furthermore, the RCRC Movement is provided with recommendations that help its components to improve their response and develop, among others, effective and sustainable coordination with authorities at transnational level in order to prevent separations and disappearances, maintain and restore family links and family unity, clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing persons and support the families left behind
19. Challenges
No challenges in the implementation of the report as such were identified. Other challenges are linked to: - the need to address the increasing and evolving obstacles experienced by family reunification applicants during the process. - lack of political will in the country and of public support for migrants are also perceived as additional barriers to scaling up activities in this field. -lack of sustainable long-term funding to Red Cross to support activities necessary to comprehensively support family reunification
20. Lessons learned
Family separation and people going missing causes untold pain and suffering for thousands of families each year. The humanitarian consequences of separation and people going missing mean a long wait for family reunion or anguish and uncertainty for news about a loved one´s fate and whereabouts. All people go through tremendous anxiety and suffering when they are separated from family members and do not know when and where they would be able to reunite. Family reunion is an aspiration that many families live with for years as they endure periods of extended separation and uncertainty. Family members of separated persons will not stop trying to reunite with their loved ones, use their resources and may furthermore put themselves and other family members at risk to achieve this.
Additional Information
21. Funding
Funded by national authorities
Funded by the organisation in charge of the implementation
Funded by regional authorities
Funded by local authorities
Funded by private donor or charity
Other funding
21.1. Please specify other funding:
22. Funded by EU Programme
- None -
Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF)
Development Cooperation Instrument
Emergency Assistance Scheme under the AMIF/ISF (EMAS)
Emergency Support Instrument (ESI)
Erasmus+
EU Compact with Jordan
EU Compact with Lebanon
EU Health Programme
EU Humanitarian Assistance
EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis
EU Trust Fund for Africa
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)
European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
European Social Fund (ESF)
Facility for Refugees in Turkey
Fund for Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD)
Horizon 2020
Internal Security Fund (ISF)
Mobility Partnership Facility
Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme
23. Approximate costs per year
24. Currency
EUR - Euro
RON - Romanian Leu
SEK - Swedish Kroner
PLN - Polish Zloty
NOK - Norwegian Kroner
HUF - Hungarian Forint
ISK - Icelandic Kroner
LTL - Lithuanian Litas
DKK - Danish Kroner
CZK - Czech Crown
BGN - Bulgarian Lev
GBP - British Pound
HRK - Croatian Kuna
25. Costs per objective or per work package
26. Other relevant information on budget and costs
27. Formal evaluation
28. Child safeguarding policy
29. Child safeguarding policy link
https://www.icrc.org/en/war-and-law/protected-persons/children
30. Child safeguarding policy document
31. Link to good practice / organisations' website
https://redcross.eu/positions-publications/reuniting-families-across-borders
32. Relevant documents for good practice/organisation
33. Is there any extra information you want to provide not already covered in the replies to the questions above?
Contact Information
34. You can add up to five contacts
1
2
3
4
5
34.1.1. Name
Migration Unit - Red Cross EU Office
34.1.2. Phone
+32 (0) 2 235 06 80
34.1.3. Email
migration@redcross.eu
34.2.1. Name
34.2.2. Phone
34.2.3. Email
34.3.1. Name
34.3.2. Phone
34.3.3. Email
34.4.1. Name
34.4.2. Phone
34.4.3. Email
34.5.1. Name
34.5.2. Phone
34.5.3. Email
Red Cross EU Office
Leave this field blank