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June 11, 2021 The age of 18 is a fateful stage for all children in every country in the world.

But this is not the case for an unaccompanied migrant who has arrived in Europe.

A 20-year-old boy who fled from Eritrea and now resides in the Netherlands tells it: "Entering adulthood is not a transition for us but the end of all the support and protection system we can rely on".



Migratory flows

Although the flows have decreased in recent years, to date there are 6,633 welcomed in Italy, and countries like France have more than 30,000. These are kids who often have terrible experiences behind them. Just think of what has happened in recent months in the Balkans and on the eastern Italian border, where many lonely minors have been rejected by the border police and forced to travel back to Bosnia. What is happening on the Greek islands, where hundreds of children without families have been stuck in refugee camps for months without access to services and education. And last but not least, the situation of our coasts, where, in the last 5 months, more than 2,600 children have landed alone.



Oxfam report

This is the alarm of Oxfam, Greek Council for Refugees, Dutch Council for Refugees, ACLI France in a report that denounces the risks involved in turning 18 for minors who have arrived alone in Europe, at the stage in which they should instead plan their future in host countries. For the most part, every safety net falls away and in the 5 countries considered, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Ireland and Italy, no systemic policies have been adopted to support young migrants in their integration process.



The law - explains Giulia Capitani, Oxfam Italia policy advisor on migration and asylum - provides that refugee minors arriving in Europe are housed in adequate structures and entrusted to guardians for all administrative and legal matters. However, access to reception facilities for new adults varies from country to country: in Ireland they are transferred to adult accommodation with very low standards, in Greece they can end up in one of the refugee camps or on the street, in Italy there are several options but also the risk, more than concrete, of simply being thrown at the door. "



Stuck in the bureaucracy

One of the most serious difficulties for young adults in Italy concerns obtaining a residence permit: at 18 the right not to be expelled expires and it is necessary to obtain a document that guarantees the right to stay. Those who have applied for asylum and come of age while still awaiting the outcome can find themselves in enormous difficulty if their application is rejected. At that point the possibility of obtaining a residence permit of another type is rejected, for example for study or work, and the risk of falling into irregularity is very high.



The appeal to Italy and the European Union

"We ask the Italian government to deal more organically with the transition of unaccompanied minors to adulthood, ensuring the coordination of all the actors involved - concludes Capitani - and to promote in particular the role of voluntary guardians, provided for by the Zampa Law, and social guardians after reaching the age of majority. To Europe, to push the Member States towards structured policies and to make more funds available for integration ”.