A/HRC/19/64
The well-being of children can only be achieved in a society which is free of violence,
abuse and exploitation of children. In March 2010, the Commission adopted two proposals
for Directives aiming at reinforcing the framework for protection of some of most
vulnerable children, those who are victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. In the area
of trafficking it is important that specific needs of children are fully taken into account in
further development of trafficking policy notably within the integrated strategy on
countering trafficking in human beings which will be adopted in 2012.
As regards detention for administrative purposes of children seeking asylum, the
Commission has worked to take forward its 2008 and 2009 proposals amending EU asylum
law. These proposals prohibit the detention of children unless it is in their best interest and
only after all possible alternatives have been exhaustively assessed. A number of necessary
safeguards and procedural guarantees are also introduced concerning access to a judicial
review and legal representation. Finally, the proposals provide for a clear prohibition of the
detention of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
The Commission's 2010 Action Plan on Unaccompanied Minors z puts forward a common
EU approach towards unaccompanied or separated children coming from outside the EU.
The Action Plan identifies child-specific reception measures and procedural guarantees that
should apply from the moment the child is found until a durable solution is found. It also
stresses the importance of appropriate representation of the child, proposes actions to
address the shortcomings in the care provided to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
in the EUaa and to avoid the disappearance of unaccompanied children who are in the care
of public authorities.
Experienced and well trained professionals can prevent problems and help children deal
with the trauma they experience. Professionals working with and for children should
receive adequate training on the rights and needs of children of different age groups, as well
as on the type of proceedings that are adapted to them. They should also be trained in
communicating with children of all ages and stages of development, as well as with
children in situations of particular vulnerability.
In 2009, more than 6 million young people left education and training, completing lower
secondary education or less; 17.4% of them completed only primary education. This is the
reason why one of the headline targets agreed by the European Council in the framework of
the Europe 2020 Strategy is to reduce the share of early school leavers to less than 10%.
Giving all children access to early childhood education and care is the foundation for
successful lifelong learning, social integration, personal development and later
employability. The Commission has already identified specific policy actions and
recommendations to tackle early school leaving bb. It will also promote initiatives in
collaboration with Member States to encourage quality early childhood education and care,
fight against segregation in educational systems, and disseminate good practices.
z
aa
bb
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Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on an Action Plan
on Unaccompanied Minors (2010–2014), COM(2010) 213 final, available at: http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0213:FIN:EN:PDF.
Report by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, Separated, asylum-seeking children in EU
Member States, April 2010.
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Tackling early school leaving:
A key contribution to the Europe 2020 Agenda, COM(2011)18 final, available at
http://ec.europa.eu/education/school-education/doc/earlycom_en.pdf
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