One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? A Comparative Perspective on UASC

Despite an alleged weakening of the sense of emergency in the last few months, Europe is still facing one of the most serious challenges of mass migration in history. The European Union (EU) as its member states, have seen the urgency to give practical answers and implement new policies at different levels so as to solve short terms issues, as well as, long term questions. Besides, while literature usually focuses on general categories of migrants and asylum seekers, we still know very little about a specific category: unaccompanied and separated children (UASC). In recent years, the number of UASC approaching Italian coasts increased exponentially. Between January and October 2016, 22,772 unaccompanied children reached Italy by sea, with a surge of around 110% compared to the same period in 2015 (UNCHR). This proposal aims at comparing the legal innovations introduced across Europe on UASC, focusing however on the specific case of Italy. We will provide fresh empirical insights concerning the controversial dynamic of innovation through shortcomings that Italy has developed in recent years. In particular, in the absence of a complete implementation of the system foreseen by law, there is a high variety of reception facilities, where UASC experience uneven and inadequate standards of care and assistance. In this situation, their access to fundamental rights is significantly indermined. Authors: Silvia D’Amato (University of Florence); Paola Pannia (University of Florence)