Meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs with representatives of Europol, the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and "Missing Children Europe", on 10.000 migrant children missing, in the EP in Brussels. Statement by Dietrich NEUMANN, Head of Corporate Services at Europol, Georgia DIMITROPOULOU, representative of European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Delphine MORALIS, Secretary General of Missing Children Europe, Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT (EPP, SE), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), Jean LAMBERT (Greens/EFA, UK), Marie-Christine VERGIAT (GUE/NGL, FR).&nbsp;

Brussels

meeting

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

LAMBERT, Jean (Greens/EFA, UK)

VERGIAT, Marie-Christine (GUE/NGL, FR)

GOMES, Ana (S&D, PT)

CORAZZA BILDT, Anna Maria (EPP, SE)

Europol

DIMITRAKOPOULOS, Giorgos (EPP-DE, EL)

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights

Europol statement on 10.000 migrant children missing: extracts from the exchange of views with representatives of Europol, the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and "Missing Children Europe"

SOUNDBITE (English), Dietrich NEUMANN, Head of Corporate Services at Europol, The most obvious measures and you might already have debated them and I risk stating the obvious, is of course to complete the registration of the migrants of the Member States where they have arrived, which should give us a clear picture about this scope and the problem of missing underage migrants. To insert the data of these migrants to the European systems which are suitable for this purpose such as the Schengen system to allow for the registration of migrants under the age of 14 in Euro Deck. To allow for the communication between the systems in order to find that whether a migrant registered in one system is also registered in the other so the whereabouts can be established.

SOUNDBITE (English), Georgia DIMITROPOULOU, , representative of European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, We should provide reception and accommodation in foster care in small units. There are reports that indicate that the proportion of children that go missing for foster care small family units is much lower compared to the reception centres and institutions. Moreover the services that are providing unaccompanied children should aim stream the national child protection system. We shouldn't leave it to migration and asylum authorities, the issues of protection; some protection authorities should be involved.

SOUNDBITE (English), Delphine MORALIS, Secretary General of Missing Children Europe, Our first challenge concerns the lack of training of professionals on the issue. In instance none of the interviewed law enforcement representatives haven't received training in preventing or responding to missing unaccompanied children. And only 22 % the guardians or cares interviewed having being trained on prevention and 12 % of the guardians and cares having being trained in responding to missing unaccompanied children.

SOUNDBITE (English), Delphine MORALIS, Secretary General of Missing Children Europe, Clear ownership is not defined and hampers the prevention and response. Cooperation is also lacking in cross border exchange when the child leaves the country, efforts to exchange information continue the search are rarely undertaken. Professionals interviewed in the study, finally also stated that in many cases children go missing as discouraged of the length and complexity of the legal procedures that will allow them for instance to be reunified with their families. Other children go missing out of fear of being sent back or transferred to the first country of arrival. in Sweden for instance the rates of disappearance sustainably decreased when Dublin's transfers to Greece were suspendered, which demonstrates the impact of these transfers on the disappearances.

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT (EPP, SE), We really try to make the point that registering, fingerprinting is a way to get children into the protection system.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), I was in Lesbos, at that house where NGO"'s working with the Greek authorities was catering for seven minors, one of them only 7 years old. They've told us that they do not have enough facilities, they do not have enough tutors, they do not have specialised NGO's; not enough prosecutors to be able to take care of the children. Most of the children are simply there, praised to the traffic of all kind, praise to all sorts of awful networks for their exploitation. This is happening in Europe ... It's really outrageous.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ana GOMES (S&amp;D, PT), I point the finger at our governments that have political responsibility, in particular for failing miserably. Our duty is to protect any children, those children in particular: refugees children, migrants children. The fact that those who are behind this EU- Turkey deal that only enables the traffickers to praise on the children strangled in Greece , indeed have criminal and political responsibility. At the front line, are the member states who violated Schengen by blocking the borders, and those who are behind are, those who block the borders .

SOUNDBITE (English), Jean LAMBERT (Greens/EFA, UK), We also need to look at how to improve the issues of trust in the system and that trust is missing and I think when you look actually again in some of our national governments I think about France and the UK, over Calais where again we have court judgements making it very clear that children in the camps in Calais have an entitlement on the Dublin and indeed on European convention of human rights to be in the UK, those judgements and that legislation is not implemented and I think also French authorities are really lacking in the way which they track and support those young people

SOUNDBITE (French), Marie-Christine VERGIAT (GUE/NGL, FR), There are 300 isolated child minors in Calais. France and UK are playing games to find who is going to be the responsible. They are on the French territory. So they have to be taken on charge by the French territory and the French government have to make pressure on the British government to solve out this situation, because the biggest part of those children are having the right to family reunification in UK.

SOUNDBITE (French), Marie-Christine VERGIAT (GUE/NGL, FR), Can we do in such a way to make all the system that we have out into place wok in the interest and respect of human rights and fundamental rights and particularity on the interest of children rights. We have to see this file in priority , and I wish to have a true attention to it allowing us to have concrete measures to solve out this situation.