{"id":148590,"date":"2025-06-20T07:11:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T05:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cesie.org\/?p=148590"},"modified":"2025-06-20T07:14:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T05:14:16","slug":"guide-world-refugee-day-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cesie.org\/en\/news\/guide-world-refugee-day-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting unaccompanied foreign minors means standing alongside those who protect them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every year on 20 June, World Refugee Day draws attention to the millions of people forced to flee their homes \u2013 and to our collective responsibility to protect them. In Italy, thousands of unaccompanied foreign minors arrive without an adult reference figure, exposed to serious risks and often unable to claim their rights.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guaranteeing rights and protection to refugees means building effective, humane, and fair reception systems every day.<\/strong> However, for unaccompanied minors, the path is still long: they are often victims of trafficking, violence, and exploitation, and face enormous barriers to accessing education, healthcare, and emotional support. As of 31 December 2023, there were over 23,000 in Italy, with more than a quarter in Sicily<\/strong> (according to the Italian Ministry of Work<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To address these challenges, since 2017 the Zampa Law<\/a> has introduced a specific protection system for unaccompanied foreign minors. Every minor should be supported by a volunteer guardian: an adult who is trained by the regional Authority for Childhood and Adolescence (AGIA) and appointed by the Court for Minors, legally representing the minor\u2019s interests in accordance with the principle of the child\u2019s best interests, established by the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, seven years on, implementation remains partial and faces significant challenges<\/strong>. According to our research carried out within the GUIDE<\/a> project, many minors do not have a guardian nor know what their role entails, indicating communication gaps. Volunteer guardians, often without adequate training, face complex situations \u2013 such as disabilities or traumatic experiences \u2013 without sufficient tools or guidance. Coordination with other reception and protection stakeholders is complex and fragmented, and guardians are sometimes isolated rather than integral parts of a collective journey of care. Furthermore, access to guardianship is often delayed or activated too late, especially for those over 16 years old, thus failing to ensure that minors are properly heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A profound change is needed<\/strong>: a protection system works only if it is supported, coordinated, and well-trained. This is precisely what the GUIDE project focuses on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With GUIDE, we strengthen the skills of guardians and institutions active in taking care of minors<\/strong>. We provide practical and up-to-date tools, such as the Trainers\u2019 Manual<\/a>, designed for those organising training for volunteer guardians, and the National Map of Services<\/a> \u2013 an evolving platform gathering information on local and regional services, useful for both guardians and minors themselves. Besides this, the project aims to provide new training opportunities and spaces for dialogue and coordination<\/strong> that ensure the participation of guardians and civil society in decision-making processes with the relevant institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When guardians are trained, informed, and supported, they can become reliable points of reference within unfamiliar and complex systems<\/strong> \u2013 because no minor should live without being protected, listened to and supported. This is an important reminder on World Refugee Day: protecting minors is a collective act of care that begins by supporting those who stand by them every day. Only together can we guarantee every minor protection, rights, and a future.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the project<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

GUIDE \u2013 Supporting Guardians of Unaccompanied Children<\/a>\u00a0is a project funded by AMIF-2023-TF2-AG-CALL-06-CHILDREN; AMIF Action Grant Budget-Based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partners<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n