SPAIN | Protection of unaccompanied minors in Europe

The Office of the Ombudsman of the Basque Country (Ararteko) is pleased to present a report on the “Protection services for foreign unaccompanied minors in Europe”. This report is part of a common endeavour to examine the situation of refugees and asylum seekers in Europe, undertaken under the umbrella of the IOI Europe, together with the National Ombudsman of the Netherlands and the Greek Ombudsman, who have produced reports on the integration of asylum seekers and refugees, border procedures and return operations.

The report is the result of exhaustive research into the practice of European countries and their Ombuds institutions in relation to the first reception of foreign unaccompanied minors in host countries, to later reception stages and to cross-cutting issues that need to be regarded throughout the stay of foreign unaccompanied minors in host countries.

Practices from many different jurisdictions have been compiled and checked against standards established over time by different relevant international organisations and actors. Those practices best matching the standards are analysed in the report as promising practices.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of sound practices in the protection and care of unaccompanied foreign children, and makes sure that these practices are in line with the most relevant international standards. Of particular importance for our community are those practices carried out by our colleagues in different jurisdictions. These show the extent to which our mission is fundamental to protect the rights of the most vulnerable, and how effective we can be in the accomplishment of that mission.

Source: Office of the Basque Ombudsman (Ararteko), Spain