Publication date: 17 January 2013
This compilation of responses to a French ad hoc query provides information on the removal of unaccompanied minors in the EU Member States.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: age assessment, family tracing, forced return, unaccompanied minors, voluntary return
Publication date: 03 January 2013
This EMN Inform presents the main developments that took place in 2011 with regard to international protection comprising statistics, the Common European Asylum System, intra-EU Solidarity , external dimension and unaccompanied minors.
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Main theme: Asylum, Vulnerable groups, External Dimension
Publication Type: Informs
Keywords: CEAS, resettlement, solidarity, unaccompanied minors
Publication date: 11 October 2012
This paper: "Women and and Girls fleeing conflict: Gender and the interpretation and application of the 1951 refugee convention" was commissioned in te context of a project on Developing Guidelines for the protection of people fleeing violence and conflict accross borders.
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Main theme: International Protection, Vulnerable groups
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: conflict, gender
Publication date: 07 September 2012
2011 stands out not only for the migration dynamics that have flowed into, out of and within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, but also for the unprecedented social movements that have transformed the political culture. IOM addresses challenges and oppportunites experienced in 2011.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, Migration
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: MENA region, migration management, assistance, AVRR, crisis
Publication date: 08 August 2012
This publication from the King Baudouin Foundation, reviews 22 projects building bridges between elderly migrants and existing services. Based on such experiences, tracks are identified to further involve elderly migrants in the society.
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Main theme: Migration, Integration, Vulnerable groups
Keywords: assistance, health care, senior migrant
Publication date: 27 July 2012
Asylum Aid published a study on "Gender Related Asylum Claims in Europe". The study is a Comparative Analysis of Law, Policies and Practice Focusing on Women in Nine EU Member States.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, Asylum
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: gender related asylum claim, gender related persecution, gender equality
Publication date: 25 July 2012
16 Member States have responded to an ad hoc query on unaccompanied minors, providing an overview of statistical data and procedures regarding unaccompanied minors.
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Publication date: 18 June 2012
The UNHCR 2011 Global Trends report has been published today. The report analyses the statistical trends and changes in the global populations of concern to UNHCR, i.e. refugees, returnees, stateless persons and certain groups of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, Data & Statistics, Asylum
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: UNHCR, Statistics, global trends
Publication date: 03 May 2012
The European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality requested this study.
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Publication date: 15 March 2012
Peter H. van der Laan, Monika Smit, Inge Busschers and Pauline Aarten have published their study for the Campbell Collaboration. It focuses on cross-border trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and prostitution.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Publication Type: Study
Keywords: cross-border crime, victims of human trafficking
Publication date: 15 February 2012
The study generates a checklist which aims to assist Member States in developing their processes for considering the return of children informed by national good practices.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, Return & Readmission
Keywords: Directive retour
Publication date: 08 September 2011
Climate change is a new driver of human migration and is expected by many to dwarf all others in its impact. This study was done by the Migration Policy Institute in coperation with the European University Institute.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, International Protection, Migration
Keywords: climate change, migration
Publication date: 24 August 2011
In July, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)issued a policy paper entitled "Policy paper: the recast of the EU asylum Procedure and Reception Directives", containing its concerns & recommendations on the 2 directives.
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Main theme: Reception, International Protection, Vulnerable groups
Publication date: 01 June 2011
Publication of the UNHCR: Legal and Protection Policy Research Series
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, Asylum, International Protection, Irregular Migration
Publication Type: Study
Keywords: alternatives to detention, detention
Publication date: 21 April 2011
Study on unaccompanied minors, carried out by the Risk Analysis Unit of FRONTEX. Amongst others, EMN and the Belgian organisation "Payoke" contributed to this study
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Publication date: 01 April 2011
Ad Hoc Query, requested by the Swedish NCP on 1 February 2010 on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)- related asylum claims in the EU - 18 responses
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, International Protection
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: Femal Genital Mutilation, gender related asylum claim
Publication date: 31 March 2011
Ad Hoc Query, requested by the Belgian NCP on 3 March 2010 concerning the issuing of residence permits for medical reasons - 18 responses
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: humanitarian reasons, medical regularisation
Publication date: 30 June 2009
Who are the unaccompanied minors (UMAs) in Belgium? What motivates them to enter and stay in the country? What are the policies on reception, return and integration developed for UMAs in Belgium? This study addresses such questions and contains statistical information on the subject.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Publication Type: Thematic Studies
Keywords: age assessment, guardianship, unaccompanied minors
Publication date:
EMN Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Ombudsman for Children and Youngsters (OKaJu) are bringing together EU ombudsmen for children and youth, as well as child welfare agencies, to discuss the best interests of the child in the context of the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The meeting offers a timely opportunity to take stock of early experiences and emerging practices. It places a particular focus on ensuring that fundamental rights obligations, especially those relating to children, are upheld in national systems.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: New Pact on Migration and Asylum, best interests of the child, fundamental right
Publication date:
On 25 June 2026, the Belgian Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN) participated in the third thematic meeting on children in migration, organised jointly by the Luxembourgish Contact Point to the EMN and the OKaJu (Ombudsman for Children in Luxembourg – Ombudsman fir Kanner a Jugenlecher). The aim of the conference was to discuss the best interests of the child in the context of the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The event brought together various stakeholders from 24 countries, as well as several international organisations and networks, both online and in person.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: migrant child, best interests of the child, New Pact on Migration and Asylum, implementation
Publication date:
The Belgian Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) announces a series of changes that will apply from 12 June 2026. These changes are part of the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, adopted in 2024. They will affect asylum procedures, operational practices and new institutional responsibilities.
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Publication date:
In 2025, minors accounted for 23.7% of all first-time asylum applicants in the European Union, according to recent Eurostat data. A total of 158.400 children applied for asylum for the first time, including a significant proportion of unaccompanied minors. While the overall number of minor applicants declined compared to previous years, children continue to represent a substantial share of asylum seekers in the EU.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, International Protection
Keywords: minor, first-time asylum applicant
Publication date:
The Council for Alien Law Litigation (CALL) has made the use of its child-friendly courtroom (“Salle M”) a structural arrangement as of March 2026. The measure applies to asylum appeal cases involving unaccompanied minors and is accompanied by adapted summonses, age-appropriate information materials, and strengthened judicial training on children’s rights. The initiative builds on a pilot phase and forms part of broader European efforts to enhance child-friendly justice.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups, International Protection
Keywords: Council for Alien Law Litigation, unaccompanied minors, courtroom, hearing room
Publication date:
The Belgian Council of Ministers has approved a draft law aimed at bringing Belgian legislation on the guardianship of unaccompanied minors into line with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and introducing additional safeguards for minors. The text has been submitted to the Council of State for its opinion.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: unaccompanied minors, guardianship, New Pact on Migration and Asylum, age assessment, multidisciplinary approach
Publication date:
Myria has released its first comprehensive mapping of quantitative data on minor victims of human trafficking and aggravated forms of smuggling in Belgium. The report aims to provide a clearer statistical basis for understanding the situation of minors at risk, while also highlighting structural gaps in current data collection and sharing practices.
