Children on the Move: advocating for unaccompanied minors. Featuring Flüchtlingsrat Niedersachsen (Germany)

This is the third of three podcasts focusing on approaches to support the integration of Children on the Move from the Middle East and other countries to Europe. Since 2020 Family for Every Child member organizations in Italy, Greece, Germany, UK and Lebanon have been working together to develop, share and implement practices. This process of collaboration led to the creation of the Supporting Integration toolkit, designed for practitioners working with children and young people on the move.

In this episode Georgina Bereton Etheridge, Programme Advisor at Family for Every Child is joined by Friederike Vorwergk from Flüchtlingsrat Niedersachsen (The Refugee Council of Lower Saxony) to discuss the the integration of unaccompanied children and young people on the move into Europe, with a particular focus on Germany.

As of late 2023, there were around 41,800 unaccompanied minors under the responsibility of German services, primarily from Afghanistan and Syria. Friederike highlights challenges such as long waiting times for asylum decisions, lack of guardians, and inadequate accommodation.

The “Know Your Rights” project which provides information and support to young refugees and youth welfare professionals. Friederike emphasises the need for international solidarity, proper implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and a shift in political discourse to prioritise refugee rights and participation.

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