The Council of Europe has launched a set of practical tools aimed at helping young migrants and refugees in their transition to adulthood, with the support of the Icelandic Presidency and the participation of Iceland’s Minister of Education and Children, Ásmundur Einar Daðason.
Addressing an international launching event at the European Youth Centre, entitled “Turning 18 with Confidence: Supporting Migrant and Refugee Children in transition to Adulthood”, Minister Daðason highlighted that although “We normally define childhood up until the age of 18, it is of utmost importance that we as governments continue our support beyond that age, strengthening our systems in co-operation and conversation with the young people themselves. There is no magic transition that happens on a person´s 18th birthday, young people are still the same persons as they were the day before. Therefore, we need to make sure that sensitivity to this fact is an integral part of how governments think, act and prioritise.”
The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), Leyla Kayacik, acknowledged the resilience of these young people aging out of child protection, and reaffirmed the Council of Europe’s commitment to supporting them in their transition to adulthood, in line with its standards. “Their well-being and successful inclusion are key to the cohesion of host societies and deserve a special focus”, she stated.
Together with a practical guide on the implementation of the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation (CM/Rec (2019)4), theevent presented the Roadmap to Adulthood and other tools developed in the framework of the Council of Europe multilateral project “Building Futures, Sharing Good Practices: Migrant Children’s Transition to Adulthood – UACFutures”.
The event was co-organised by the Office of the SRSG on Migration and Refugees, the Youth Department and the Co-operation Programmes Division – Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI), with support from the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
