Unaccompanied and Separated Children on the move

Author: Nesrine Ben Brahim (ICMPD)

In 2021, the number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the EU rose by 72 percent compared to the previous year. Against the backdrop of the Taliban rising to power in Afghanistan, many refugees fled the country, among which unaccompanied or separated children represented a significant proportion. This trend is not unique to Afghanistan, as many children fleeing wars, conflicts or simply on the move, find themselves in countries of first arrival in the EU and confronted by a number of challenges that were not foreseen.