Children in Migration: South East Europe and beyond

Latest UNICEF report highlights that some 45,650 migrant and refugee children, including 12,800 unaccompanied or separated children, were present in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and the South East Europe region at the end of 2019. Among the mixed-migration population, child arrivals in Greece, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria in 2019 increased by 7% compared to child arrivals in 2018 with over a quarter being unaccompanied or separated children. The available data indicates that migrant and refugee children in these countries still face considerable challenges such as limited access to basic rights and protection, asylum, social inclusion, education, health and psychosocial support. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the existing challenges while introducing new ones.

This discussion is organised to connect a wide network of GC SEE / ERMA alumni, professors and professionals as well as others working to improve the respect for the rights of children throughout the region to share their experiences and lessons learned. With this discussion, we also wish to announce our two-year 'Children in migration SEE' project which will be implemented with the support of the Global Campus of Human Rights and the Right Livelihood Foundation.

Participants

To kick off this conversation, three GC SEE / ERMA alumni will give us more insight into the situation of children on the move in the region:
- Georgia Arapidou (Child Protection Expert, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Greece);
- Iva Partsaleva (Senior Protection Assistant, UNHCR, Bulgaria);
- Sabiha Kapetanović (SCI Child Protection Officer, Temporary Reception Centre ‘Bira’, Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The discussion will be moderated by Nikolina Milić, GC SEE / ERMA Children’s Rights Officer.

For more info on event, please visit the Facebook page of ERMA