The UK Border Agency have recently revealed their plans to build a reintegration centre in Kabul for deported children. The government agency estimates that spending £4 million on the facility would allow deportation of approximately 12 boys of Afghani origin per month.
The current legal position is that removals of unaccompanied children under 18 can only be enforced, when there are adequate reception arrangements in place in the country of removal. The UK Border Agency is therefore creating arrangements in the form of a “reception centre” which would allow deportation in accordance with the law. The government argues that this measure is in line with Britain’s international obligations which prescribe that removal of unaccompanied children must be only in their best interest. The European Union has recently revised its position on what is regarded as a “child’s best interest”, stating that it might be that “development in their own social and cultural environment” for children is most desirable. Ministers of several EU countries have agreed that they should increase their efforts in developing reception centres and assisting local governments in the countries of return. A special EU fund has been created to support such measures.
Human rights organisations are united in their concerns. They argue that such steps do not have children’s safety as their prime concern, but rather, political goals around managing the influx of illegal migrants. Amnesty International believes that “unaccompanied children should only be returned when they are handed over to the person who will be their primary carer, whether that is a family member or a legal guardian”.
