Unaccompanied Foreign Minors Research Articles

The pathways of unaccompanied foreign minors evaluated by the social workers: a case study in Italy

AbstractSocial workers, who are responsible for unaccompanied minors (UAM), have in-depth knowledge of those minors’ backgrounds and the reception pathways they follow. The social workers support key aspects of UAM integration such as learning the host country’s language, school integration and vocational training. Via 566 interviews collected through a survey carried out in collaboration with the Municipality of Milan, we asked social workers to provide an overall evaluation of the progress of each reception path, to test a synthetic indicator capable of effectively measuring UAM progress. We confirmed the reliability of this indicator, as the results correlated with outcomes used in the literature to assess UAM pathways, such as learning the host country's language, uninterrupted schooling and training, and deviant behaviour related to crime and drug abuse. We used ordinal logistic regression to identify the UAM characteristics associated with the overall operator’s evaluation. Our analysis showed that the duration of stay in Italy before and after the start of the reception process had an impact on the social workers’ evaluations, as did certain pre-arrival characteristics such as country of origin, years of study in the home country and underlying motivations for migrating. Finally, the psychological vulnerability of a significant number of UAM, often linked to traumatic experiences leading to migration or experienced during the journey, significantly penalises the success of reception pathways.

Age assessment of unaccompanied foreign minors: an analyses of knowledge and practices among Italian pediatricians

BackgroundIncreases in migration patterns in the recent years have led to a continuously growing number of unaccompanied foreign minors (UFMs) entering Italy. As part of processing and integration, age assessment is performed by pediatricians upon request of regulatory bodies. Updated guidelines for age estimation procedures were published in 2020 in order to prioritize the well-being of the minors and the accuracy of the assessment. Nonetheless, literature suggests that the recently established multidisciplinary approach has not yet been widely adopted by physicians.MethodsA cross-sectional exploratory survey was distributed to pediatricians in Italy in order to gauge their range of experience with UFMs and age assessment protocols.ResultsIn total 344 pediatricians participated in the survey, originating from varied regions in Italy. Out of pediatricians who reported conducting age assessment procedures (38.9%), only a small fraction (14.2%) confirmed being knowledgeable about the methodology. Instead, a significant portion (28.8% and 56.4%) either had partial awareness or lacked knowledge of these procedures. These responses significantly differed when comparing hospital and outpatient pediatricians or according to their geographical area of work (p <0.05).ConclusionSurvey responses suggest that a gap in awareness and experience regarding a multidisciplinary approach to age estimations still exists, likely in part due to a lack of resources, especially at the regional level. In the future, efforts towards the education of professionals and mobilization of resources for investment in the field will be crucial for the improvement of work with UFMs and other migrant populations.

Scale of Perceptions of Future Primary School Teachers on Unaccompanied Foreign Minors: Exploratory and Confirmatory Analysis

Scale of Perceptions of Future Primary School Teachers on Unaccompanied Foreign Minors: Exploratory and Confirmatory Analysis

Risk and protective factors in the training‐employment trajectory of young adult migrants who have left the guardianship system

AbstractIn recent years, young people's economic and employment possibilities have been compromised, especially in the case of vulnerable populations such as unaccompanied foreign minors who migrate to Spain and enter the guardianship system. The aim of this study was to identify this group's most representative training trajectories, and determine the risk and protective factors involved in their insertion to the labour market. To this end, 16 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with young adult migrants who had left the system and 15 with professionals involved in their socio‐educational intervention. The results highlight various factors that hinder the inclusion of young adult migrants in the formal education system, which has a negative impact on their subsequent insertion to the labour market. Actions and proposals were collected that aim to foster the educational inclusion of young adult migrants and promote their labour market insertion; an area considered essential in the transition to adulthood.

Age assessment in unaccompanied minors: assessing uniformity of protocols across Europe.

Age assessment of migrants is crucial, particularly for unaccompanied foreign minors, a population facing legal, social, and humanitarian challenges. Despite existing guidelines, there is no unified protocol in Europe for age assessment.The Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) conducted a comprehensive questionnaire to understand age estimation practices in Europe. The questionnaire had sections focusing on the professional background of respondents, annual assessment numbers, requesting parties and reasons, types of examinations conducted (e.g., physical, radiological), followed protocols, age estimation methods, and questions on how age estimates are reported.The questionnaire's findings reveal extensive engagement of the forensic community in age assessment in the living, emphasizing multidisciplinary approaches. However, there seems to be an incomplete appreciation of AGFAD guidelines. Commonalities exist in examination methodologies and imaging tests. However, discrepancies emerged among respondents regarding sexual maturity assessment and reporting assessment results. Given the increasing importance of age assessment, especially for migrant child protection, the study stresses the need for a unified protocol across European countries. This can only be achieved if EU Member States wholeheartedly embrace the fundamental principles outlined in EU Directives and conduct medical age assessments aligned with recognized standards such as the AGFAD guidelines.

The Chilean Dream: the case of Jesus, an unaccompanied young migrant. An ethnographic note

The migration of unaccompanied children and adolescents from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Venezuela to countries such as the United States, Mexico and Chile has raised concerns due to the unique challenges they face. These adolescents are seeking opportunities for education, work and family reunification, fleeing adverse contexts in their places of origin. The political crisis in Venezuela has increased the emigration of unaccompanied adolescents to countries such as Colombia, Chile and the United States. Research has examined the factors that influence migration decisions, mental health challenges and coping strategies of these young people. The vulnerability of these children is exacerbated by the lack of legal frameworks and essential services. The case of Jesús, a young Venezuelan migrant, illustrates the difficulties faced by Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (UFMs) on their journey. Improving child protection mechanisms, ensuring access to education and health care, and creating a supportive environment are crucial steps to ensure the well-being of this vulnerable population. International cooperation, improved policies and sustainable solutions are essential to protect the rights and dignity of all migrant children.

Diversity Experience Index Informs Sense of Belonging

This research project was executed to demonstrate a new approach to increasing Sense of Belonging of individuals to groups to which they belong. The foundation of the approach lies in the application of concepts from a branch of math called Graph Theory. Graph Theory provides concepts and calculations that can be applied to understand the structures that arise when elements interact in a network. This project considers individual humans who interact when they come together to participate in some activity. In particular, we will apply this analytical methodology to UFM, Unaccompanied Foreign Minors, children who arrive without adult supervision or guidance from foreign countries to build a new life in their new country (in our case, Spain). One goal of the project is to increase the Sense of Belonging of these children to other children in the program with whom they do not share common characteristics (Age, Country of Origin, and Time Spent in Spain). We use the concept of “Diversity Experience Index”, or DEI, that shows for any individual, the number of interactions they have had with other individuals with particular characteristics. A student’s DEI values can then suggest future interactions in the program to achieve the goal of increasing their Sense of Belonging to other students in the program.

“Not all motherfuckers are MENA, but most MENA are motherfuckers”

Abstract The number of unaccompanied foreign minors (Menor Extranjero No Acompañado, MENA) in Spain has risen, which has led to them being the subject of discriminatory language and negative stereotyping on Twitter. This study analyses the characteristics of hate speech against MENA on the social platform Twitter and seeks to identify its triggers. A quantitative analysis using text mining and text analytics was performed on 10,776 tweets mentioning MENA published from January 2018 to March 2021. The study concluded that hate speech was built around the terms criminal, rape and steal, and was characterized by use of language that stripped these minors of the features usually attributed to children, a process which can be described as adultification. Similarly, the analysis revealed that the main trigger of hate speech was the way in which the media reported violent crimes attributed to MENA, displaying what was perceived as positive bias towards their integration.

A critical-discourse study of the representation of unaccompanied foreign minors in a sample of the Spanish press

The arrival of unaccompanied foreign minors (UFM) to Spain has increased in the last decades. The objective of this article is to study the discursive representation of UFM in a sample of the Spanish press to deepen the understanding of how they are portrayed The data consist of a corpus of all the news items on UFM published in the digital editions of the newspapers El País, ABC and El Mundo from January 1st 2012 to January 1st 2022. The methodology is mixed, i.e. quantitative data will be obtained using the software Antconc for concordance analysis and cluster lists. Thus, a corpus-linguistic analysis is made to observe the main linguistic patterns associated with UFM. Moreover, qualitative data will be offered by using the discursive model of social actors proposed by Van Leeuwen (2008). This model will be used to delve into the main categories employed by the Spanish press to refer to UFM, for this purpose, patterns of assimilation vs individualization and role allocation and identification are described. The study reveals that UFM are mainly associated with criminalization and exclusion. Thus, their representation is associated with social problems.

High number of refugees in Italy - which strategy works in Italy?

AbstractA negative impact on mental health of Ukrainian people who will survive the war is very likely.Those who leave are exposed to the trauma of leaving behind home, relatives, friends, job, habits, i.e., most of what they had built in their life, and to the unpleasant feeling of knowing nothing of what they will go through.Mutual support and nurture problem-solving strategies, including favoring family reunion, restoring people dignity and control over the environment, help children recover a more positive social reality, are major protective factors in buffering the impact of war, displacement and related trauma.By November 2022, Italy had hosted more than 170.000 Ukrainian refugees. The National Service intervention, coordinated by the Civil Protection Department, has developed a Plan for the reception and assistance of the population from Ukraine to uniform the response to the emergency on the national territory. The plan has focused on two aspects: humanitarian assistance and reception. The network for reception is composed of the CAS - Extraordinary Reception Centers and the SAI - Integration Reception System. The Plan also provides measures related to health care and education to ensure mandatory vaccination requirements and the access to the school system for unaccompanied foreign minors. As to plans aimed to address mental health issues, the right to care is guaranteed, but several issues can be identified that limit the impact of the national policies on the needs of this population.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Unaccompanied foreign minors and mental health: Implementation and evaluation of the RHS-15 screening procedure for unaccompanied foreign minors

Background and objectiveThe recent notable increase in refugees' flows, with refugee children and adolescents relocating worldwide, posed severe challenges to the different national healthcare systems. Social groups such as refugees fleeing from their countries because of persecution, wars and violence are considered at high risk of developing mental health-related problems. Despite international and national policies legally regulating the reception process and protecting health-related rights, including the mental well-being of refugee migrants, there is a theoretical and applied need for evidence-based instruments and procedures to support mental health within this population. Recent evidence refers to the Refugee Health Screener-15 (RHS-15) as a reliable and valid instrument for the early detection of trauma-related mental health problems. In this scenario, this study aimed to test the RHS screening process within a multidisciplinary first intervention reception context for unaccompanied refugee minors. DesignThe RHS-15 was administered with the support of cultural-linguistic mediators to 81 unaccompanied minor residents in a first intervention facility in Milan, Italy. This study aimed to assess psychometric characteristics, such as reliability, sensitivity and specificity feasibility and its implementation within a first intervention reception process. ResultsThe analysis resulted in the validation of the RHS in its 13-item format. The results highlighted and confirmed an efficient delivery, excellent reliability and a positive predictive and convergent validity of the 13-item version. Further analysis showed an excellent ability to avoid false negatives, although there was a clear tendency to identify false positives. ConclusionsThe early identification of vulnerabilities among refugee minors is recommended to promote their long-term overall well-being. Integrating the screening results with additional observational elements and more specific diagnostic tools is recommended to gain a comprehensive perspective of the minors’ well-being.

Resilience among Unaccompanied Foreign Minors

This paper deals with resilience in unaccompanied foreign minors (referred to as MENA in Spanish) who are in Melilla, either in reception centres or in a “street situation”. The presence of these young people in Melilla has been increasing significantly since 2014, becoming a major problem for a city of only 12.3 km2, a population of approximately 87,000 inhabitants and bordering Morocco, the country from which most of them come. The aim of this study is to identify and analyse the behaviours or elements that favour resilience in MENA. To this end, a quantitative methodology has been chosen, using a questionnaire with a sufficient degree of validity and reliability aimed at identifying the MENA with the greatest number of resilient indicators. The sample consisted of 148 MENA, chosen by probability sampling. The results show that most of them have migrated for work. Almost all of them are from urban backgrounds and come from large families. More than half have a good family relationship. They have been in Melilla for up to 12 years, are multilingual, more than half feel Moroccan and many are not in school. In 10 years’ time, most of them imagine themselves married, with a stable job and living in another Spanish city. Young people in a “street situation”, who are the most resilient, prefer to be on the street rather than in a reception centre. Three clusters corresponding to MENA profiles with different levels of resilience were identified through a two-stage analysis.

The conditioning of social networking sites in the formation of migratory chains of unaccompanied foreign minors

The relational uprooting faced by young unaccompanied minors, when they undertake a migratory process, it places them in a situation of extreme vulnerability. Timeshare in the Center for Minors offered relationships between themselves, which are later maintained and reflected on social networking sites. The content that can be shared on social networking sites could condition the subsequent migratory itinerary travel and the migratory chains that are formed. In this study, the profiles on social networking sites of 51 unaccompanied minors were analyzed one year after having passed through a Center for Minors located in Malaga (Spain). Through social networks analysis, netnography and certain algorithms for community detection, cohesion and emotion analysis, the connectedness and interaction patterns shown by these young people on social networking sites (Facebook) will be analyzed, identifying leaderships and detecting communities that influence the formation of migratory chains. The results show how the patterns of connectedness, interaction and leadership reflect migratory chains.

Italian survey on the use of a multidisciplinary approach for age assessment of UAM

Abstract Issue Many methods are used to assess the age of unaccompanied foreign minors (UAM). In Italy, in the frame of a new legislative asset, a multidisciplinary protocol has been adopted in July 2020 with the aim of ensuring that all UAMs are assessed uniformly throughout the country when their age is in doubt. The assessment is based on a multidisciplinary - social, psychological and physical - evaluation performed by a team of specialists. The local health authorities (ASL) carry out the assessment when requested by the Juvenile Court. Description One year after the establishment of the protocol, INMP launched a national survey, through an online questionnaire, to investigate the formal adoption of the protocol by the ASL and their adherence in practice. The survey started on 10 January 2022 and closed on 8 March 2022. Results Out of 118 ASL that were asked to participate, 102 (85%) answered. 37 declared to have a multidisciplinary team for age assessment. Of them, 18 use the formal protocol, 11 use an approach “in line” with the protocol and 8 have a forensic team, out of the rules of the protocol. Of the 65 that did not set up the team, 22 declared that they were ready to do so. 846 age assessment requests were reported and 687 were carried out. 398 migrants were recognized as minors, 222 migrants were not recognized as minors, and the age of 67 migrants remained uncertain. Lessons The pandemic period prevented the effective adoption of the protocol by the ASL, that were strongly engaged in the COVID 19 response. There is still great variability in the way the age assessment of UAMs is conducted and in order to counteract the use of inadequate/outdated practices, it is necessary to actively promote and support the adoption of the protocol. In addition, a continuous comparison/dialogue between the multidisciplinary teams, the Juvenile Court, and the Police Headquarters is also needed, so that the procedure is requested only when necessary and carried out properly. Key messages • In case of doubt, the age of all UAM has to be assessed in a uniform manner throughout the country. • The adoption of the multidisciplinary protocol has to be actively promoted and supported to counter the use of inadequate or outdated assessment practices.

A Pilot COVID-19 Surveillance Program at the Zendrini Center in Milan (Italy) for Unaccompanied Foreign Minors

During the COVID-19 pandemic, not only crowded refugee camps and immigration detention centers, but also receptions were places in which outbreaks occurred. To date there has been no report of the application of a COVID-19 surveillance system in reception centers for unaccompanied foreign minors only, who most of all deserve the utmost attention. Aware of this critical issue, we implemented a pilot COVID-19 surveillance program at the Zendrini center in Milan. It was started in September 2021 and was carried out for 4 months. Nasopharyngeal antigenic swabs were adopted. One day a week, two forensic physicians performed the first antigenic swab to minors who had just entered the center, or a monitoring swab after 15 days to those who were still hosted at the center. Operators were also swabbed for surveillance. A total of 80 subjects were enrolled and divided into 68 (72.5%) unaccompanied foreign minors and 22 (27.5%) operators. A total of 178 antigenic nasopharyngeal swabs were performed and tested negative. Regarding the monitoring activities, it was found that the minimum number of swabs per subject was 1 and the maximum number was 7, with an average value of 2.2 per individual. Having been able to confirm the absence of SARS-CoV-2 within the community represented a way to protect individual and collective health that could not have been pursued otherwise. Only inclusive approaches can allow communities and societies to respond more effectively to this crisis, and reduce the risk of future ones, intended as both upcoming COVID-19 waves and new infectious diseases.

Critical Thinking and Motivation in Vocational Training and Baccalaureate: A Comparison Study of Students of Spanish Nationality, Unaccompanied Foreign Minors and Young Care Leavers

The present study analyzed academic motivation and its relationship with dispositions towards critical thinking in a sample of 131 students of Spanish nationality and 131 students of foreign nationality (unaccompanied foreign minors and foreign adolescents who had previously experienced the Andalusian care system). For this, an ex-post-facto study was conducted which was descriptive, comparative, and cross-sectional in nature. The main analyses carried out are of a descriptive and inferential nature, the latter to analyze the differences and associations between the variables of critical thinking and motivation (ANOVA test and an structural equations models) in both groups. Main outcomes included the lack of significant differences in dispositions towards critical thinking between Spanish and foreign students, alongside the existence of significant differences in academic motivation between both of these groups. In addition to this, significant differences were found within the group of Spanish nationality students in the dimensions of critical thinking as a function of intrinsic motivation, whilst such differences emerged in the foreign nationality group as a function of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and amotivation. Finally, within the group of Spanish students, a significant and positive relationship was found between motivation and critical thinking, being positive and non-significant in the foreign national group. In conclusion, it is necessary to improve dispositions towards critical thinking and educational motivation from the educational system for the inclusion of minors and youths in today’s society.

Minori stranieri non accompagnati in Italia. Indagine empirica nelle strutture salesiane di accoglienza

The purpose of this article is to present the commitment of Italy, in particular of the Salesians, to activities undertaken for the benefit of unaccompanied foreign minors in host communities. The author used an analytical method. The article has the following structure: in the theoretical part, the author describes the phenomenon of migration in Italy based on wide references to statistical data, the commitment of the Catholic Church and Salesians to the work for the benefit of foreign minors without parental care. Next, the author tries to clarify the notion and the legal framework concerning foreign minors. In the second part, dedicated to the survey, the author presents some methodological aspects of empirical research and then discusses the results obtained through an analysis of the Internet sources. The research has been based on the websites dedicated to the Salesian work with foreign minors without parental care in Italy.

Characterizing Unaccompanied Foreign Minors: Educational Level and Length of Stay as Individual Difference Factors That Impact Academic Self-Efficacy.

The aim of the present study is to analyze individual differences in academic self-efficacy within a population of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (UFM) from the European cities of Ceuta and Melilla (Spain). Variables describing educational level and length of stay were considered in a sample of 377 individuals being cared for in different youth centers. Of these, 63.4% belonged to the group who had stayed at the center for less than 9 months and 36.6% reported a length of stay of more than 9 months. The age of participants ranged between 8 and 17 years old (M = 14.87 years). Once the quality parameters of the instrument (academic self-efficacy) were elaborated, reliability and validity was confirmed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) methodology. Data collection was then initiated. The results overall indicate that 87.6% of those who completed the questionnaire reported a higher level of self-efficacy with regards to working with any classmate, whilst at the same time seeing themselves as capable of achieving good marks. ANOVA results indicated significant differences with respect to educational level and length of stay. In this regard, students who had received professional training and had been at the Center for more than 9 months, were the ones who developed greater academic self-efficacy for spending more time working when tasks were judged to be difficult. The results obtained demonstrate that any intervention will be positive as long as it promotes different institutions to develop strategies that cater to a length of stay of more than 9 months and target education, academic self-efficacy, socialization and strengthening the future workforce. Such interventions can be directed through new European, Spanish or local level policies. It is clear that institutions still have a lot of work left to do.

Victimización y Problemas de Conducta Externalizante y Antisocial en Menores Extranjeros no Acompañados en Europa: Revisión Sistemática

Previous studies on unaccompanied migrant minors have pointed out the high risk of suffering victimization during the migration process and the important consequences of this, focusing mainly on internalizing problems. This review explores the relationship between victimization and externalizing and antisocial problems in unaccompanied foreign minors settled in Europe, an area less studied. The results of the fourteen studies included in the review point to a high prevalence of victimization, including the post-migration phase, a moderate presence of behavioral problems, which tend to become chronic, and heterogeneous results regarding the global relationship between both aspects. Limitations in the evaluation procedures associated with self-report measures, great diversity of the samples used, and not differentiating between migratory phases may influence such heterogeneity. It is argued that post-migration victimization, in terms of social marginalization, together with deficient care for effective integration in host countries, become risk factors for the development of externalizing problems and antisocial behaviors.

The Personal Learning Environment of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors in Spain

The Personal Learning Environment of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors in Spain