The SUN Newsletter
Welcome to the SUN Newsletter, July 2024! The project has already been running for over a year now, and many activities have been accomplished so far. In the latest updates, and as a sneak peek of what you’ll find in this newsletter, we have already published our training needs analysis report, we are working on the development of our handbook, and we will celebrate the train-the-trainers event in Barcelona in October. Additionally, in this newsletter, you’ll also find member news and international news on the protection of unaccompanied minors.
Thanks a lot for following our work! More about the project
SUN transnational train-the-trainers in Barcelona
On October 3rd and 4th, the partners from the Comissió Catalana d’Acció pel Refugi (CCAR), are going to host in Barcelona the SUN training of trainers.
The transnational train-the-trainer event will gather: experts from all partner countries, as well as three external trainers in strategic litigation and training methodology. Trainees will be future trainers in the national trainings. The training will consist of 3 main components. The first part will be dedicated on the rights of UASCs as enshrined in the CFREU and will be a forum for project partner experts to exchange knowledge and skills. Each project partner will contribute with their experience. The second component will be dedicated on strategic litigation for safeguarding the rights of UASCs. The third part will be dedicated on training methodology.
The train-the-trainer event will further focus on how to adapt the Handbook and the national trainings to the different professional and country contexts.
Additionally to the training, the colleagues from CCAR will also present their work, context and stakeholders with the partners and other trainees.
Stay tuned to our social media for more information!
The SUN Training needs analysis and good practices report is out!
The SUN consortium has published a comparative report on training needs and good practices analysis regarding safeguarding the rights of UASC under the CFREU, in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Romania. It has as its benchmarks the following CFREU rights applicable for UASC: human dignity, right to life, right to integrity of the person, prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, right to liberty and security, respect for private and family life, right to education, right to asylum, protection in the event of removal, expulsion or extradition, nondiscrimination, prohibition of child labor and protection of young people at work, right to social and housing assistance, health care, right to good administration and right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial.
SUN Practitioners’ Handbook
The SUN project team is working on the development of a Practitioners’ Handbook on Safeguarding Unaccompanied and Separated Children’s Rights through the CFREU. Therefore, the project handbook will provide more basic knowledge about the Charter guaranteed rights of UASCs to the professionals involved in the everyday work with children – e.g. reception, care and education of UASCs. This group of professionals has a key role in the practical implementation of the rights, but also in documenting and referring the cases.
The handbook will also include a series of chapters that will provide more specific legal information, which it’s specially targeted for legal practitioners.
The handbook will be shared in the Barcelona “Train-the-trainers” event, and we will also share it on our social media.
SUN Training needs analysis and good practices infographics
Following the publication of our training needs analysis and good practices report on UASCs, we have developed a series of infographics showcasing the key aspects of each of the CFREU rights analyzed in the report.
Follow us on social media to access the infographics!
Understanding migration health rights in Romania- Terre des hommes
The partners from Terre des hommes Romania an informative leaflet about the healthcare system and migrant’s rights in Romania. The leaflet explaining the role of a family doctor, structure of the medical system and foreigners’ healthcare rights.
The leaflet was produced within the PROMISE project – Protecting the Unaccompanied Migrant Minors, which was implemented by Terre des hommes Foundation and JRS Romania with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021.
TAKE ACTION SCHOOL
Associazione Volontarius, the Italian partner of the Sun Project, presents the Take Action School project.
Take Action School is the creativity and human rights school by Gruppo Volontarius, designed by Piano B – Social Design, born in collaboration with Amnesty International – Italia and the cultural association Voci per la Libertà.
The project runs workshops to promote broader awareness about human rights and solidarity through the languages of creativity. During the workshops, participants have the opportunity to explore creativity as a medium of reflection, self-expression, expression of feelings and collective participation. Through the languages of art and communication, participants take an active part in advocating for human rights and supporting the most vulnerable people in their community.
In recent months, a photography workshop and visual communication was held on the theme of migration. It involved young people hosted at the Casa San Valentino reception centre, a second-level service for unaccompanied minor migrants run by the Volontarius ODV Association on commission of the social services of Merano, and a class of the Gandhi High School, both located in the South Tyrolean town of Merano. The participants created visual artifacts with the aim of defending and promoting the human rights established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This project represents a best practice implemented by Gruppo Volontarius to foster inclusion and promote a community of solidarity.
Law Handbook by ARSIS
ARSIS has published the third edition of Seeking International Protection: A Case – Law Handbook • 2022-2023
The Association for the Social Support of Youth (ARSIS) published an online case-law anthology on the support of minors seeking international protection (November 2021). The second (digital and printed) edition of December 2022 was enriched by adding in decisions on cases of unaccompanied children and asylum-seeking young adults. This third edition complements the previous work by incorporating more new decisions and by broadening the research scope to all third-country nationals applying for international protection in Greece.
Meet SIRIUS Network!
SIRIUS is a membership-based organization that promotes the social inclusion of children and young people with migrant backgrounds by fostering their effective access to the universal right to education. SIRIUS facilitates a cross-sector approach bringing together researchers, policymakers and practitioners in the field of migrant education as well as migrants and refugees themselves. Together, with their members they identify challenges and needs, exchange good practices and find collaborative ways to accomplish mutual goals.
SIRIUS is coordinating the communication and dissemination strategy for the SUN project.
In 2023, 254 900 first-time asylum applicants were children, representing 24.3 % of the total number of first-time asylum applicants recorded in the EU, in 2023. Unaccompanied minor applicants accounted for 17.0 % of the total number of first-time asylum applicants aged below 18.
Syrians (22.4 %) and Afghans (13.1 %) were by far the most represented citizenships of first-time asylum applicant children in the EU in 2023.
The EU countries that received the highest numbers of asylum applications from unaccompanied minors were Germany, France and Spain.
Practical Tool for Guardians Transnational procedures in the framework of international protection
The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) have joined forces in the development of a series of practical tools for guardians of unaccompanied children with international protection needs. The objective is to support guardians in their daily tasks and responsibilities during the asylum procedure, including the procedure under the Dublin III regulation and temporary protection. The series of practical tools addresses the following topics:
• temporary protection for unaccompanied children fleeing Ukraine,
• introduction to international protection,
• the regular asylum procedure,
• transnational procedures in the framework of international protection.
Guidance on Vulnerability in Asylum and Reception – Operational standards and indicators by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA)
The Guidance contains operational standards and indicators support Member States in the implementation of key provisions of the CEAS, addressing issues related to applicants in a situation of vulnerability in asylum and reception.