Power to UAMs: Ensuring Equal Access, Participation, and Voice at the Local Level

ongoing

Power2UAMs The rights of the child apply to all children, regardless of their migration background or their residence status. The duty to respect child rights applies to public authorities at all levels (national, regional and local). A particularly vulnerable group of children in Europe are unaccompanied minors (UAMs). These minors lack parental care and often undertake complex journeys to reach and settle in Europe. They face many challenges, including limited access to public services, homelessness, segregated education, insttitutionalisation, violence, abuse, etc. The project aims to ensure equal access to good quality public services to UAMs at the local level. It will: 1. gather comparable qualitative and quantitative data about the needs of UAMs and their access to services at the local level; 2. reinforce the coordination among local stakeholders, setting-up local working meetings or groups 3. reinforce the voice of unaccompanied minors by establishing child participation platforms in each selected locality; 4. respond to the identified needs of unaccompanied minors by developing local strategies in each selected locality; 5. launch advocacy actions at national and local level to make sustainable change, including legal actions where necessary, 6. develop a Toolkit for local stakeholders on ensuring equal access to local services for UAMs. The project will address the needs of UAMS in the following circumstances: - having filed asylum, - being in transit, -having temporary protection status. The project will implement activities in the selected 6 localities (Athens, Pyreus, Calais, Brussels, Gent, and Liege) in 3 countries (Greece, France, Belgium). Partner organisations have gained significant expertise in addressing the needs of UAMs at the local level.