Return
An
unaccompanied child may have ambiguous feelings about return. In the place of
arrival, many children miss their families, their peers and things they liked
about their home. At the same time, there might be concerns about the security situation
in the place of origin, the child’s survival and opportunities for development,
risks due to conflict and emergencies or other difficulties that make it hard
for the child to think about return.
Professionals
and officials working with and for children on the move need to understand
children’s views about return. They need to collaborate during the case assessment
and the best interests determination, to obtain a more comprehensive
understanding of the child’s situation. It is important to be transparent and
talk openly with the child about the option of return. Discussing return with
the child can reveal many important insights into how the child views possible
risks and sources of protection and how these may affect the child’s safety in
the country of arrival and origin.
The
child’s attitudes about return have a bearing on her or his well-being during
the period waiting for a decision on the child’s application for international
protection or a residence permit. The more comfortable a child is about
returning to her or his place of origin, the less intimidating and upsetting
would it be for the child to think about the possibility that the authorities
in the state of arrival order the child to return. Whereas the freedom to
return safely can have an empowering effect, the impossibility to return might
cause a feeling of anxiety and depression.
When
return is considered to be in the best interests of the child, thorough preparation,
counselling and support are required prior, during and after return so that it becomes
a positive, safe and sustainable experience. Where return is not an option due
to safety reasons or other concerns, family reunification in the place of
arrival or another EU Member State is an alternative to be considered. A child
who is granted refugee status has a right to family reunification.
Irrespective
of any official decisions concerning the child’s return, the child will most
likely think about her or his place of origin. These thoughts may be positive
or negative. Thoughts about return are likely to remain with the child for many
years and maybe for a life-time.
Orientations
for professionals working with unaccompanied children:
- Seek
to solicit the child’s views about return and understand the correlated risks
and sources of protection.
- Ensure
that the child’s views are heard, understood and taken into account in the best
interests determination process and the identification of a durable solution.
If return is considered to be in the best interests of the child, explore with
the child and all relevant actors in the country of destination and origin the
type of preparatory and follow-up support that the child needs to make return a
positive, safe and sustainable experience. Mobilise this support from formal and
informal sources with a view to enabling continuity of care and support into
adulthood and an independent life.
- Where
return is not an option, assess whether family reunification is in the best
interests of the child and support the child in this regard.
Literature:
Family and Childcare Centre
(KMOP), Defence for Children International –
Italy (2015), ‘Settlement’, in: Resiland
, Participation,
capacities and resilience of children on the move against trafficking and
exploitation, Orientations for professionals and officials working with and for
children on the move, Athens, pp. 44-47.