On 3 July  the  Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) took part in the online conference “Alternative Care Arrangements for Unaccompanied and Separated Children in the Context of Migration“. The conference was organised as part of the action on Strengthening the human rights protection in the context of migration in Türkiye, within the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.

The event gathered Turkish public authorities and institutions, international organisations, civil society organisations, social and legal professionals, academics and other relevant professionals involved in the protection of unaccompanied and separated children on the move.

Addressing the event, a DMR representative recalled that the Council of Europe has a long-standing commitment to protecting the rights of children, including unaccompanied children on the move and presented the relevant Council of Europe legal framework and activities in this regard.

The role of the European Court of Human Rights’ case-law was stressed in the context of the protection of the children on the move. Migrant children must be treated first and foremost as children, the guiding principle being the best interests of the child.  A child’s extreme vulnerability is the decisive factor that takes precedence over any other considerations relating to the child’s migrant status.

One of the key aspects of child protection is access to alternative care arrangements, which is crucial in safeguarding the safety, stability, and well-being of unaccompanied migrant children.

The conference aimed to facilitate the exchange of experiences and of good practices, and to foster co-operation to advance the implementation and development of effective care solutions for unaccompanied migrant children through the vulnerability analysis, diverse models of alternative care arrangements, and identification of relevant challenges.