Most EMN Member and Observer Countries reported pressures and challenges in housing applicants for international protection between 2017 and 2021. This inform highlights the challenges encountered and best practices for responding to the emergency.

This ad hoc query, launched by Luxembourg, examines what guidelines, procedures, and possible best practices are in place when LGBTIQ+ individuals are detained.

Fedasil, the Belgian Reception Agency, aims to harmonise the use of interpreters in its reception facilities. This ad hoc query examines if Member States have established guidelines or instructions on the use of interpreting services and how these services are provided in reception facilities.

This discussion paper stands against the immigration detention of minors, even used as a measure of last resort, and calls for implementing meaningful alternatives to detention during return procedures. It also recommends mandating the collection of data on this matter.

Unaccompanied minors who have little or no perspective of receiving a residence permit within EU Member States, may have co-existing problems such as mental health issues or substance addiction. This ad hoc query examines how EU Member States deal with this specific group and how they could improve the reception and supervision of these young persons.

This ad hoc query mainly collects information on calculation methods used to determine the necessary reception capacity for applicants for international protection and on the flexibility measures developed in case of shortage or surplus. It also examines how EMN Member and Observer Countries organise the outflow of beneficiaries of international protection and rejected applicants for international protection to housing and other forms of accommodation.

How do Member States and Norway ensure the care and protection of children who arrive in their countries, and what measures are in place in relation to guardianship, education, access to justice, and more? This new report from the European Migration Network (EMN) provides an overview of the progress made during 2020 in the implementation of the recommendations laid out in the 2017 Communication on the protection of children in migration and is the second edition of a series of reports developed by the EMN.

How do Member States ensure the protection of children in migration procedures, and what measures are in place in relation to guardianship, accommodation, transition into adulthood, and many more? This report from the European Migration Network (EMN), published on 10 March 2021, maps the state of implementation in 2019 of the recommendations laid down in the 2017 European Commission Communication on the protection of children in migration.
 

24 Member States provided information on national laws and practices regarding the detention of families with children in migration procedures, the possibility to detain one of the parents and detention in the context of the age assessment process.

These studies explore the types of national protection statuses existing in Belgium and the EU, as well as their key characteristics in terms of procedures and rights.

The phenomenon of unaccompanied migrant children going missing has increasingly been in the focus of public attention in the EU. Several international organisations and European NGOs have raised concerns that the disappearance of unaccompanied minors is not always addressed in an effective manner. What policies and procedures are in place to register and follow up on cases of missing children, and how is data on missing children collected in EU Members States, Norway and the UK? The new Inform from the European Migration Network (EMN), in collaboration with international organisations, EU agencies and NGOs, offers a comprehensive picture of how the phenomenon is tackled currently in the EU.

The PROTECT – Preventing sexual and gender-based violence against migrants and strengthening support to victims project aims to support the coordination and/or adaptation of support services for sexual and gender-based violence victims and potential victims among refugees, migrants and asylum seekers (children and adults, including LGBTQI people). It is funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020).

In its latest report, the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre KCE has outlined the options for a more equitable access to health care for asylum seekers in Belgium.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) published a report on the protection of unaccompanied and separated children in Belgium. The report describes the current state of affairs and provides policy recommendations to reinforce the protection of this vulnerable category of foreign nationals.

This final report, realised by the Study and Policy Unit of the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil), describes the reception of vulnerable applicants for international protection with specific needs. It discusses how (field) staff define, identify and respond to vulnerability in practice. The objective is to develop a better understanding of the way in which Fedasil and its reception partners fulfill the requirement of Belgian and European legislation to meet the specific needs of applicants for international protection.