Swiss Review 6/2019

Swiss Review / November 2019 / No.6 27 to a source within the legal sector. So- phie Bobillier, a lawyer, argues that a minor cannot be prosecuted for be- ing in Switzerland illegally. “The right to protection for the child takes precedence,” she says. The Collectif was received this summer by a dele- gation of the Geneva cantonal gov- ernment, where it demanded that the authorities provide minors with a document recognised by the police. The canton acknowledged that the frequent prosecution of minors un- der guardianship for breaking the law regulating foreign nationals was undesirable. Minors sleeping in the street The influx of unaccompaniedminors on the streets of Geneva dates from spring 2018. In March, minors spend- ing the winter in a Salvation Army nuclear shelter found themselves out on the street. Some were placed in bed and breakfast accommodation, while others slept rough or left the area, according to Païdos. Now the in- flux has started again, with around 20 more young people being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation according to the Collectif and Païdos. The Child Protection Services have disclosed that they monitored 200 files on young people under guardi- anship between summer 2018 and 2019. In June, the cantonal parliament sustained a motion in favour of ac- commodating these young people. The left and conservative parties sup- ported it, while the SVP voted against it fearing the setting of an unwanted precedent. Anne Emery-Torracinta, cantonal councillor in charge of pub- lic education, denounced the accom- modating stance displayed by the or- ganisations towards the migrants. “They commit crimes. They are a group that a priori does not want to integrate and this poses a great deal of problems,” argued the socialist. The state opens a centre for unaccompanied minors The cantonal authorities have re- sponded to the lobbying by announc- ing the opening in October of a cen- tre for unaccompanied minors with 25 places. It will accommodate chil- dren aged from 15 to 18, who will re- ceive education adapted to their needs and medical care. Moreover, the authorities have launched an ac- tion plan to support unaccompanied minor asylum seekers, aimed at im- proving the level of care and access to education. Six unaccompanied mi- nors also received an undertaking in October that they would receive ed- ucational support. This is a first. At the same time, the cantonal govern- ment argues that not all unaccompa- nied minors want to go to school and highlights doubts regarding their identity and age. In Valais, where there are very fewunaccompaniedminors, the head of the population division wonders whether these minors could be French citizens. In the canton of Vaud, the issue does not even seem to exist. The International Social Service, based in Geneva, wants to dedicate one of its next conferences to this is- sue. The event will be held on 12 De- cember and will be attended by guardians, social workers and doc- tors based in French-speaking Swit- zerland and Ticino. We need help; respect our rights; listen to us – written messages from minors who arrived in Switzerland unaccompanied. Photo: HETS Genève