On 15 June 2022, the Committee of Ministers adopted an Explanatory Memorandum to the Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)11 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on effective guardianship for unaccompanied and separated children in the context of migration. This instrument aims to provide guidance to member states to ensure that comprehensive and child-friendly measures are put in place to uphold and protect the rights of unaccompanied and separated children in migration. The nine guiding principles identified in the Recommendation outline what is required for an effective guardianship system as well as for the implementation of guardianship systems in member states. The Explanatory Memorandum contains additional practical guidance in relation to these nine principles, including Checklists for policy makers, authorities and guardians, as well as key information for children concerned with guardianship.

On 5 July 2022 the Checklist prepared by the Lanzarote Committee’s secretariat on the basis of the Committee’s urgent monitoring findings on “Protecting children affected by the refugee crisis from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse” was made available in Ukrainian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak and Romanian (in addition to English and French). This Checklist provides concrete guidance for migration practitioners and policy makers to swiftly identify appropriate measures to take or procedures to follow to prevent and protect children affected by refugee crisis from sexual abuse. It is a practical tool to support the authorities confronted by the arrival of children, in particular those fleeing Ukraine. The Checklist is soon going to be available also in Polish and Slovak.