01-08-2012
Meeting “Conditions for children-refugees, asylum seekers in Ukraine and Transcarpathia. What does government propose, what can we do ourselves?” was held in Uzhgorod press-club.
The matter was about situation with migrants as well as children, who cross the border without documents. It was also reported about the place where detained people were directed, what legislation of Ukraine proposed in these cases and problems the like.
“There are not so many migrant-children, however in the context of international obligations implementation by Ukraine, this subject is very important, – it was said by the chief of Refugee Department of Head Department of Migration Service of Ukraine in Transcarpathian region, Nikolay Tovt.
– No matter how many children there are, law and mechanism foreseen by it must work in respect of one child. Problems of this category can be solved with the help of the public. It is a normal practice in countries with strong financial resources than in Ukraine. We state that non-governmental organizations have also actively joined this work”.
In accordance with the words of Tovt, 18 persons were granted subsidiary protection in July in Ukraine (not refugee status, namely “subsidiary protection” – it gives the same rights as refugee status does).
Nikolay Tovt also told that children of two categories arrive to Ukraine – those who got to Ukraine in the composition of families and those without accompaniment of adults.
The third part of submitted applications to Migration Service in Transcarpathia are children separated from families. These are often citizens of Somalia (one more is from Afghanistan and 1 from Vietnam). Overall, these are girls. Besides, there are 12 newborn babies since the opening of Temporary Holding Facility in Mukachevo.
Children-refugees and asylum seekers have opportunity to attend schools. On the other hand, difficulties arise with vocational training of the teenagers. Thus, it is difficult to employ child-refugee to vocational school, as educational establishment must have special licenses to educate foreigners.
According to the words of N.Tovt, appointment of legal representatives belongs to problematic issues concerning children-refugees. It is rather formal status as such a representative is somehow diverted from his client. “Legal representative is an official of Municipal Council or Regional State Administration, who does not see what problem a child has. We do not have corresponding children establishments yet, these children are even still unsettled to foster families.”
Head deputy of Department on Work with Refugees, Inquest and Administrative Proceedings of the Headquarters of Chop Border Detachment, Artem Oliynyk reported that in the course of 6 months of the current year 221 persons were detained for attempt to cross the state border of Ukraine (262 persons in 2011), 71 of them were citizens of Ukraine, 147 – foreigners. Often these are citizens of Somalia (42 persons), Moldova (26) as well as Georgia, Afghanistan, Russian Federation (Chechnya) and one representative from Bahamian Islands.
Concerning minors, border guards detained 26 persons from Somalia (2 of them were recognized as under-age after forensic medical examination) and 2 children from Afghanistan (accompanied by parents).