Swiss Review 6/2019

Swiss Review / November 2019 / No.6 26 Politics STÉPHANE HERZOG There are two types of minors who ar- rive alone in Switzerland. Those who are eligible for asylumbecause of their country of origin count as unaccompa- nied minor asylum seekers (UMAs). They are given a roof over their heads, meals, educationand social benefits. In 2015, 2,700 UMAs requested asylum, the majority of them boys aged 16–17, fromEritrea. The others are unaccompanied minors (UMs) coming from countries which do not make them eligible for asylum, for example, Morocco. These people do not receive social assis- tance and have no platformonwhich to build their life. “UMAs have usu- ally grown up with their family,” ex- plains Sylvia Serafin, co-manager of Païdos, an association which offers psychological and educational sup- port plus a daily meal to unaccompa- nied minors. “However, UMs are ad- olescents who have fled the breakdown of their family at a very young age. They have had to live through dramatic experiences dur- ing their exile and most of them suf- fer from post-traumatic stress. They need appropriate support.” Most of these young people come from Alge- ria or Morocco and present psycho- logical deficiencies. They may also suffer the consequences of their va- grant situation, experiencing dental problems, injuries or skin conditions. Some of them have passed through more than 15 European cities in just three years, according to the French organisation Trajectoires. Suicide of a young person in a refugee centre Most of the UMs in Switzerland can be found in Geneva. There are two reasons for this: the city’s proximity to France and the fact that French is spoken there. This newphenomenon exacerbates another situation involv- ing the UMAs. Since 2018, their treat- ment has come under criticism from social workers and organisations. The issue was thrust into the spotlight by the suicide in March of a young Af- ghan at Le Foyer de l’Etoile, a refugee centre managed by the Hospice général. “This young man’s suicide was feared but not totally unex- pected following four years of ex- haustion and instability,” said staff at the centre in a letter to parliament. The refuge, which holds up to 200mi- nors seeking asylum, has been com- pared to a prison. Subject to over- crowding, noise, temperature fluctuations, and lacking in educa- tional facilities, these centres are not fit for purpose. “It’s not really a cen- tre,” a young asylum seeker told Ge- neva School of Social Work, “it’s a ref- ugee camp.” The organisations, including the Human Rights League, claim the gov- ernment is not doing enough to rec- ognise and uphold the rights of these minors as stipulated in the Conven- tion on the Rights of the Child. The Collectif Lutte des MNA (a group lob- bying for the rights of unaccompa- nied minors), founded in 2018, high- lights the lack of any procedures or benefits for these young people. Julie, 25, a social sciences student in Laus- anne, was involved in launching the group: “Unaccompanied minors are found on the street and placed in bed and breakfast accommodation with people who are not equipped to care for them and who send them away if there is a problem,” she explains. They are allowed a sandwich in the evening and breakfast in the morn- ing. They are not given any education and the case workers responsible for themare completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cases.” No education for unaccompanied minors According to the Department of Ed- ucation, minors stay in designated centres; bed and breakfast accommo- dation is an emergency measure. At the beginning of October, it con- firmed that no unaccompanied mi- nors were in education. The Collectif has also questioned the “pointless” retention of minors in custody when they are stopped by the police and found to have no ID. If the only issue is their illegal presence in the coun- try, the juvenile court generally de- cides not to pursue such cases and simply lets the people go, according Switzerland struggles with an influx of unaccompanied minors Between 2016 and 2018, more than 3,000 unaccompanied minors requested asylum in Switzerland. In addition to this number, hundreds of young men arrived alone from the Maghreb region, with most coming to Geneva. The authorities are accused of failing to respond to the situation.