Joint statement for the 10th European Forum on the Rights of the Child

Europe’s refugee and migrant crisis will soon enter its third year, with children playing an ever larger part and the impact on their lives all the more tragic. Between January and September 2016, more than 664,500 children claimed asylum in Europe. In Italy, nine in ten children arriving this year are unaccompanied. In Greece, 23,000 children remain in limbo –their futures hanging in the balance, their education on hold.

EU institutions and Member States must do more to protect refugee and migrant children! That’s why a statement was signed by 78 agencies including ECPAT Belgium to mark the opening of the 10^th European Forum on the Rights of the Child in Brussels, on November 29th. The 78 partner organisations identify 7 priority actions to protect refugee and migrant children today and prepare them for the future.