Disappearing children

As of 1 September 2013 the Human Rights League has started with the implementation of the project "Disappearing children". The aim of the project is to improve the legal protection of the separated children placed in the children homes in Slovakia, to help to reduce the numbers of the disappearances of the separated children from the children homes and to increase the number of the separated children whose life situation is going to be solved by one of the accessible legal forms /residence permit, family reunification, application for international protection, voluntary return/.

Who is a “separated child”?

Separated child, or unaccompanied minor (legal term), is a child who is not a citizen of the Slovak republic and is found on our territory without a company of his/ her parents or legal guardians. Around 140 – 200 separated children are found every year in Slovakia; they are subsequently placed in the specialised children home for separated children where the adequate care is provided to them.

However, based on our findings and experience, more than 90% of these children have been disappearing from the children home. Where they go or what happens to them is in most cases unknown. The disappearance of the child from the children home is in general the situation which must be prevented, because the child is not sufficiently mentally developed and experienced to be able to predict what risks he/ she can be exposed to and how to avoid these risks. Children without protection are highly vulnerable and often exposed to abuse, including sexual abuse, forced labour, trafficking in human beings, etc. In cases of separated children these risks are even higher, as they come from different cultural background, do not speak the language of the country they arrive to, do not know the habits of the European society, evaluate certain behaviour of the people differently and have bigger tendency to trust people promising them quick transport to their family members living in Europe or well-paid job, which can pay the expenses of their families in the country of origin. This is why it is of particular importance to prevent the disappearances of separated children and to provide them with adequate help and protection.

The project aims to analyse the possibilities and search for responses to a basic question: How the disappearances of separated children from the children homes can be avoided, reduced and/ or prevented?

With this purpose we will realise within the project the following activities:

Interviews with former separated children who still live in Slovakia and keep contact with our organisation, and, with a permission (and presence) of the guardian, with the separated children who at the moment reside at Slovak territory;
Interviews with responsible authorities;
Comparison with the experience and methods used in selected EU countries in relation to the disappearances of separated children in order to share these experiences with Slovak colleagues during the round-table meeting;
Translation into Slovak language and distribution of the recently published General Comment No. 14 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Right of the Child to have his or her Best Interests taken as a Primary Consideration (art. 3, para. 1), as this is very important and for a long time awaited comment of the Committee containing the interpretation on how the best interest of the child should be assessed in practice of the signatory states;
Analyse the asylum case-law of the Slovak courts and the decisions of the Migration Office of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic in cases of separated children seeking asylum, selected judgments of the courts on the appointment of the guardian to the separated children and the analysis of the selected administrative files of the separated children at the Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family;
Elaborate a Position Paper containing the description of our findings, outcomes and recommendations – this will be presented at the round-table meeting;
Round-table meeting with the responsible authorities, NGOs, etc. and with a presence of the experts from selected EU MSs – the aim of the meeting will be to present the findings, outcomes and recommendations, to discuss the issue and share the experiences from other MSs;
Short movie, which will present to the public audience the fears, challenges and problems faced by a separated child;
Articles about the separated children, their life situations and problems as well as the findings and recommendations resulting from the project.

Project outcomes should help to improve the care provided to separated children in accordance with the principle of the best interest of the child.

Project Disappearing children has been supported with the amount of 36 000 € by the Fund for Non-governmental organizations funded by the EEA Financial Mechanism 2009-2014. The Open Society Foundation is the administrator of the Fund. The aim of the project Disappearing children is the Support to Democratic Values including the human rights.

More information on EEA Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 on: