The International Organization for Migration

Unaccompanied Foreign Minors:

The Family Tracing Project as an additional Way to Improve the Understanding of the Phenomenon

IOM - International Organization for Migration

Established in 1951 Main intergovernmental organization in the

field of migration 127 Member States More than 445 field locations in over 100

countries

Family Tracing Activities and Assisted Voluntary Return of Unaccompanied Foreign

Minors residing in Italy

In support of the Italian Committee for the Foreign Minors* (ICFM) in one of these duties as assigned by Law.

Based on DPCM n. 535 of the 09.12.1999: Art. 2 “ Duties of the Committee ”:..f) is tasked with all such a duties allowing for enhancing the identification of UAM’ family members in Italy, and in their Countries of Origin or in Third Countries, by cooperating with relevant public administrations and competent national and international organizations..

IOM was assigned the task of “family tracing” in March 2008

* The Committee is not competent as for minors seeking international protection

Family Tracing Activities and Assisted Voluntary Return of Unaccompanied Foreign

Minors

The Project involves IOM Missions in UAMs’ Countries of Origin: in Europe (i.e. Greece, France, Germany, Spain), Eastern Europe (i.e. Albania, UNSC Res 1244 – Admin. Kosovo, Moldova, FYROM, Serbia, Ukraine), Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, (i.e. Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea Conakry, Ghana, Nigeria, Camerun, Ivory Coast, Togo), South Asia (i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan) and South America (i.e. Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil)

Family Tracing activities in Morocco and Egypt have not yet started as not consent from the Governements has been given.

Family Tracing Activities and Assisted Voluntary Return of Unaccompanied

Foreign MinorsProject’s Activities: no. 1 Family Tracing

Some 900 family tracings completed by IOM* based on minors’ profiles provided by the Committee.

Family tracing is an useful tool to better support UAMs integration process, as it provides Italian social-workers with an in depth knowledge of:

UAMs’ migratory project, be it a “family’s venture” or based solely on individual’s expectations; family’s expectations and their reflections on minor’ s choices;

Context of origin: possible problems / vulnerabilities within the family of origin and/or within the context of origin; risks; possible development opportunities in the area of origin

*From April 2008 to May 2009

Project’s Activities: no. 2 Family Reunification To be implemented through Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR)

programmesConvention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) of 20th November 1989, Article 9 :

1. States Parties shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will, except when competent authorities subject to judicial review determine, in accordance with applicable law and procedures, that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the child. Such determination may be necessary in a particular case such as one involving abuse or neglect of the child by the parents, or one where the parents are living separately and a decision must be made as to the child's place of residence.

CRC, Article 10 :

1.In accordance with the obligation of States Parties under article 9, paragraph1, applications by a child or his or her parents to enter or leave a State

Party for the purpose of family reunification shall be dealt with by States

Parties in a positive, humane and expeditious manner. States Parties shall further ensure that the submission of such a request shall entail no adverse consequences for the applicants and for the members of their family.

Family Tracing Activities and Assisted Voluntary Return of Unaccompanied foreign

Minors

Project’s Activities: no. 2 Family Reunification (2)

In particular, family tracings are essential activities when the minor wishes to be reunited with his/her family and it is ascertained that family reunification upholds his/her best interests (according to the decision of the Committee and the other relevant judicial and local authorities).

CRC Convention, Article 8 :

1. States Parties undertake to respect the right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family relations as recognized by law without unlawful interference.

Family Tracing Activities and Assisted Voluntary Return of Unaccompanied foreign

Minors

Project’s Activities 3: awareness raising and information dissemination

This activity aims at informing relevant actors and actual and

potential beneficiaries about the services offered by the Project; it is addressed to

the Italian local authorities, NGOs and all those working with minor migrants and, when possible, also to UAM’s themselves.

CRC Convention, Article 12 1. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own

views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.

2. For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.

Family Tracing Activities and Assisted Voluntary Return of Unaccompanied

foreign Minors

Family Tracing Activities and Assisted Voluntary Return of Unaccompanied

foreign MinorsHow the Project works:

1. ICFM receives the reports on UAMs compiled by the Italian Social Services, Police or other Public Authorities, and transmits them to IOM Rome together with an official request to start up family tracing activities;

2. IOM Rome analyzes, translates and records the information in a dedicated database and then sends minors’ individual profiles to IOM Missions in CoOs;

3. IOM Missions in CoOs contact the families and meet with them at their place of residence, conducting an interview and filling in an interview protocol that later will be inserted in the database; then sends the report to IOM Rome. The interview protocol gives also an assessment over the feasibility of minor’s reintegration, taking into account all the information and a snap shot of the situation in the context of origin;

4. IOM Rome reviews and translates the family tracing report and sends it back to the Committee, which in turn forwards the report to the competent Social Services.

Italian Committee for Unaccompanied Alien Minors……

IOM Rome…………….

During the whole procedure, IOM Rome has a liaising role between the Committee and the IOM Missions in the field and supports them in all tracing activities (e.g. retrieving of additional information and addresses)

1.Receives UAMs’ files from social services, police offices (Questura) and other public authorities.Forwards the files to IOM Rome for family tracing activities.

2.Analyses the files, translate and intake the in the ad hoc data baseDrafts individual profiles on the minors, with their family’s contact addresses, to be forwarded to the IOM Missions in the minor’s country of origin (or a given third country of residence)

IOM Missions in theCountry of Origin…………

3.Contacts UAMs’ families, based on the information and addresses given by IOM Rome. Meets the families, fills the questionnaire and inserts the interviews outcomes in the data base. Evaluates the socio-economic context of origin of the UAM’s family and the reintegration opportunities available locally. All this by keeping with the principles of the best interest of the child

4.Forwards the interview’s outcomes and its recommendations to IOM Rome.

5.Reviews the reports, translates and forwards them to the Committee.

6.Forwards the results to the social workers concerned.

7.Taking into consideration the minor’s will, the interview’s findings and the social workers’ evaluations, the Committee evaluates the situation of the minor and depict the path that can better accomplish the best interest of the child, either in Italy or in the Country of Origin. In the event that the Committee and the judicial authorities) consider the reunification as the best solution

8.Based on information collected by the IOM Missions in the country of origin on the opportunities available, IOM Rome agrees with the minor a reintegration project (either professional, vocational or education activities, and, if need be, medical) Carries out all formalities linked to travel documents and departure of the minor.

9.Receives and assists the minor at the airport, at his/her arrival.Follows up the minor’s reintegration project through monitoring visits throughout six months following his/her return, and reports back to IOM in Rome so as to report to the Italian authorities.

How the Family Tracing tool can be enhanced:

Through a better knowledge of the integration path followed by the minor, which can only be provided by the social workers directly involved, in order to have a more detailed picture of his/her story, starting from the minor’s own perception of the migratory project, needs and expectations.

By this mean, the information obtained through family tracing activities can be effectively compared to the information on the minor’s present situation in Italy (i.e. his/her reception, quality of the family relationships, family members in Italy, etc.), thus better allowing for identification of possible vulnerability factorsCRC Convention, Article 3 1. In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.

IOM…..

For more information on our Projects and Programmes: http://www.italy.iom.intFor more information on the Family Tracing

Programme:agiustiniani@iom.int ebartoloni@iom.int

sspinuso@iom.intIOM – Regional Office for the Mediterranean areaVia Nomentana 62, 00161 Rome, ItalyTel: (+39) 06 44 23 14 28Fax:(+39) 06 44 02 53 3Email: mrfrome@iom.int