9. Migration of Unaccompanied Children: Is the EU Up to the Challenge? A Legal Perspective of the Southern Mediterranean

In recent years, the number of children arriving alone to the EU through the southern and eastern Mediterranean, has increased dramatically. The Mediterranean has become a critical junction between Global North and Global South for migrants in general and including unaccompanied minors. Once in Europe, many of these children are exposed to risks, inadequate treatment, and lack of respect for their rights, all clear breaches of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This international Treaty establishes that in all actions concerning children, undertaken by public institutional and private actors, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration. This contribution explores the effectiveness of this pivotal principle of the UN Convention in its application to the children arriving alone to European territory, especially in the area of the Mediterranean Global South, where the influx of children has been massive. It will also advance recommendations regarding protocol for the EU Member States and criteria that the EU itself must implement in order to treat unaccompanied children with their full rights.