Protect the rights of children, women and people from the LGBTI community

Cooperation and shared responsibility between all levels of governance from local to regional, to national, to European and global are vital to ensure the security and protection of asylum seekers and migrants. More than 10,000 migrant and refugee children went missing in Europe during the last couple of years. Women and people from the LGBTIQ community were subjected to violence and rape. We call for the EU to focus particularly on the need to improve the safety and security of the most vulnerable groups among migrants like children, women and LGTBI people, including victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and of all forms of gender-based violence, such as, FGMs and child, early and forced marriages. We must provide a continuum of protection, health care, access to education and support for all children on the move. This includes respecting their fundamental rights, acting in the child’s best interest and strengthening family reunification, relocation and resettlement procedures. There should be a special focus on the well-being of children who have been stuck in reception centers. Children should never be detained or separated from their families.

All vulnerable groups of migrants like children, women and LGTBI people need to be protected from all kind of violence, especially sexual harassment and rape, in the reception centers and other public places. Victims of violence, psychological trauma, sexual assault and rape should have access to the Member State’s support system dealing with these issues. Moreover, specialised staff in combatting violence and assisting victims should be at the reception centers. Women’s residency status must be independent of their husband’s as this would allow women to have full access to all integration measures – if necessary with an offer for childcare – such as language courses to ensure their empowerment and access to the labour market.