Child Inclusion as a Challenge to the Mediterranean Partnership of the EU

Summary: Child Inclusion as a Challenge to the Mediterranean Partnership of the EU – the consequences of migration on children at risk in the Southern European Member States: Analyses, Concepts and Strategies.

The Southern European countries within the exterior borders of the EU need specific attention towards child inclusive policies, which also have to take into consideration their specific migration problems. For this reason, the forum aims at raising awareness of this crucial problem as well as presenting and ensuring a mutual exchange between different stakeholders.

The conference will be a forum for critical discourse on all aspects of the consequences of migration for children at risk in these countries and on current issues relating to this phenomenon, which is of growing importance to the social and political integration of the EU.

Furthermore, it aims at the improvement of communication between the different national and European levels of policy making, governance and social intervention as well as early prevention methods.

Finally, it will contribute to the creation of permanent networking links between these different levels in order to ensure a better co-ordinated and sustainable joint action, such as, in the field of unaccompanied migrant children, the fight against child trafficking and exploitation as well as the reintegration of ethnic minorities.

EFSCW expect participants representing, among others, the European Union (Commission and Parliament), international organisations (such as the Council of Europe and UNICEF) as well as local and national authorities, researchers, European NGOs, academics, businesses, the media and social NGOs running projects in the Southern European countries such as Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain. Naturally, the specific Italian situation will be particularly considered in the overall discussion.

Children at risk, and in particular migrant children, are one of the most vulnerable groups in Europe. Therefore, new coordinated active policies and specific solutions, which take into consideration these target groups and ensure a better protection of the child, have to be discussed, and the best practice be supported and promoted within the European Union.