Illegitimate practices implemented at the external and internal borders and a critical interpretation of the possible reforms that would follow the adoption of the proposals the EU Pact on migration and asylum.
The report “Unaccompanied minors: critical conditions at Italian external and internal borders” has been drafted with the aim of collecting and denouncing the main concerns regarding limitation or violation of undocumented minor rights at internal and external Italian borders, documented through the monitoring activities conducted by ASGI in cooperation with other NGOs and activists.
Moreover, it also includes a critical assessment of the main legislative proposal attached to the New Pact on Migration and Asylum presented by the European Commission on 23 September 2020. The approval of the reform proposals associated with the Pact would in fact risk consolidating practices contrary to the best interests of these minors (such as detention and refoulement), as already experienced at the borders of several Member States, including Italy.
Therefore, the document has a two-fold purpose: on the one hand, it seeks to draw attention to the illegitimate practices implemented at the external and internal borders and, on the other, it provides a critical interpretation of the possible reforms that would follow the adoption of the proposals in this Pact. It achieves this, especially in light of what is already happening in Italy, with specific reference to the situation of unaccompanied foreign minors.
In conclusion, specific recommendations will be submitted to Italian authorities with the intention of contrasting the illegitimate practices we have encountered and of ensure the full compliance of border practices with minors’ rights. In addition, further recommendations will address the new Pact, indicating the changes that should be made to the proposals, so that they respect the rights of minors and the principle of their best interests.
