The Council of Europe has published an empirical study based on the findings of workshops that took place in Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece and Hungary in 2017. Children on the move and otherwise affected by migration were asked to share their views and recommendations about the information they had received in relation to immigration and asylum in member States of the Council of Europe.
The workshops focussed on the information received by children in relation to a variety of sensitive subjects including asylum procedures, age assessment, detention, family reunification, guardianship and violence. This is a study of the findings and recommendations made by children who took part in the workshops.
The children highlighted that the professional’s behaviour, body language and tone of voice are crucial when communicating with a child they also highlighted that it is important to receive information about the future to alleviate feelings of stress and uncertainty.
Concerning the tools and materials, the children underlined that interpreters and peer mediators can be used in addition to written information to reinforce the information given orally by the professional.
This study contributes to the work of the Children’s Rights Division on a handbook for professionals on promoting child-friendly information for children in migration under the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Refugee and Migrant Children (2017-2019).
Source: coe.int
Picture: freeimages.com
