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
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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
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In support of the Italian Committee for the Foreign Minors*
(ICFM) in one of these duties as assigned by Law.
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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..
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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
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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 SubSaharan 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)
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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 Minors
Project’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:
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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;
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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
Family Tracing Activities and Assisted Voluntary Return of
Unaccompanied foreign Minors
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Project’s Activities: no. 2 Family Reunification
To be implemented through Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration
(AVRR) programmes
Convention 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
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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.
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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
1.
2.
3.
4.
How the Project works:
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;
IOM Rome analyzes, translates and records the information in a
dedicated database and then sends minors’ individual profiles to IOM
Missions in CoOs;
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;
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……
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 base
Drafts 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)
6.
Forwards the results to
the social workers
concerned.
IOM Rome…………….
5.
Reviews the reports, translates and
forwards them to the Committee.
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.
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)
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
9.
IOM Missions in the
Country of Origin…………
4.
Forwards the interview’s outcomes
and its recommendations to IOM
Rome.
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.
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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 factors
CRC 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.
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IOM…..
For more information on our Projects and Programmes:
http://www.italy.iom.int
For more information on the Family Tracing Programme:
agiustiniani@iom.int ebartoloni@iom.int sspinuso@iom.int
IOM – Regional Office for the Mediterranean area
Via Nomentana 62, 00161 Rome, Italy
Tel: (+39) 06 44 23 14 28
Fax:(+39) 06 44 02 53 3
Email: mrfrome@iom.int