Children Refugees, Zappeion

Speaking about refugee children, I cannot help but first express my outrage at the recent reports that have come to light through the BBC regarding sexual scandals involving young children as victims in refugee centers in South Africa.

More than 40 humanitarian organizations are involved in the abuse of the bodies and souls of young refugee children in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, in exchange for a piece of bread.

Most of the children who suffered sexual abuse were young girls.

In many cases, the parents themselves felt compelled to hand over their children in order to survive. “They want us to love them so they can give us money,” said a young refugee to the BBC.

Another little girl complained that she was constantly sent to the end of the queue because she had resisted the sexual advances of a member of a humanitarian organization.

Unfortunately, young girls in Africa pay the price of gender-based discrimination, which is deeply rooted, not only in South Africa.

Refugee children are among the most vulnerable groups of children in the world.

Although children make up more than half of the number of refugees worldwide (estimated at around 10 million), their rights and the special protection they need as children are neglected by the international community.

Research shows that the experiences of refugees from war and violence have a huge impact on young people and create traumatic situations.

Refugee children are forced to move during a difficult period of their lives.

In their attempt to flee, they often become separated from their families, which leaves them with an irreplaceable emotional void, and during their journey, they usually face the risk of death or serious injury.

In host countries, many refugee children continue to fall victim to violations of their fundamental human rights.

Many refugee children are deprived of the right to education, are often used in military operations, become victims of labor exploitation, abuse, sexual exploitation, and child prostitution, while facing difficulties in adapting to the new environment due to language and cultural differences.

As for their contact with law enforcement, communication is difficult because there is no specialized staff to take care of the refugee child based on their needs and particularities.

At the same time, the reception facilities are often inadequate and unsuitable for unaccompanied children who are refugees or seeking asylum.

The statistical data is also incomplete because young children and unaccompanied minors usually arrive without documents and avoid declaring their exact age.

The number of children seeking asylum in Western countries is very high, where many governments show reluctance to respond.

The usual way of dealing with the problem can involve very strict measures, such as increased border controls, imprisoning children, using X-rays to determine their age, or deporting them to “safe” third countries.

On the other hand, there are governments that make serious efforts to integrate minors in accordance with Article 22 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires the provision of care to minors, whether unaccompanied or with their families.

Few cases of refugee children attract public attention or appear in the media.

The case of the little Cuban boy Elián González and the ensuing dispute between the U.S. authorities and Cuba is the exception. For example, the case of the 16 unaccompanied Afghan children who were found at the Austrian border last Christmas did not attract anyone’s attention; nor did the arrival of a group of children from Somalia at Zurich airport, where they sought asylum.

Personally, I believe that the asylum process for refugee children should be immediate and without delays, in order to ensure that they and their families enjoy the fundamental rights to protection.

An unaccompanied child should receive special treatment and care, as they face even greater risks.

Additionally, children may not be aware of their rights in a foreign country.

Therefore, it is essential for them to be provided with a legal advisor, who will ensure their protection and advocate for the benefits they are entitled to from the authorities.

This proposal, which has been made, among others, by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has not received much attention from states—particularly in Europe—although there are some exceptions, such as Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands, which have developed the institution of legal advisors for minors.

Our sensitivity is tested and judged not only by refugee children but also by the fact that the protection of the child has not become a universal ideology of the responsible state services.

This protection must be expressed through education, employment, the healthcare system, but especially through the redefinition of our value scale.

For this ongoing and great responsibility of ours, the state, society, and each one of us, let us seek our own responsibility and, together, our cooperation for the protection of the child—the future of the world.