CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2014
| Author | Moore, Jonathan Nathaniel Samuel |
|---|---|
| Title | RECONSTRUCTING THE FAMILY ENVIRONMENT: A COMPARISON OF CARE ARRANGEMENTS FOR UNACCOMPANIED MINOR ASYLUM-SEEKERS IN GREECE, BELGIUM AND THE NETHERLANDS |
| Summary | The Convention on the Rights of the Child states,“…the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding”. More than half of the world’s unaccompanied minors that seek asylum are doing so within the borders of the European Union. Upon arrival, one of the first steps taken by authorities is to engage in family tracing, with the hopes of achieving family reunification. However, this cannot always be realized. Consequently, unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers often spend years living in state care before reaching the age of majority. That begs the question, without family present, how can a non-citizen child from a different linguistic and cultural background, experience the ‘family environment’. Who reconstructs this environment, and how? This thesis examines the right to a ‘family environment’ in the unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers context. In doing so, the main tools for reconstructing the ‘family environment’ are identified as the appointment of a guardian and placement in appropriate accommodation. Specifically, this thesis argues that the ‘family environment’ exists in the effective interaction between these tools. Using Greece, Belgium and the Netherlands as case studies, this thesis explores how the dynamics between guardianship and accommodation affect the well-being and development of unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers. Inspired by fieldwork undertaken for this project in Greece, this thesis concludes with recommendations for the creation of care arrangements in Greece that are reflective of the ‘family environment’. |
| Supervisor | Nagy, Boldizsár |
| Department | Legal Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2014/moore_jonathan.pdf |
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