Calling for greater protections for refugee and migrant children ahead of World Refugee Day, on 20 June, the report examines the situation of children on the move at the EU’s external borders—focusing on Greece, Italy, Finland, Spain, and Poland—and draws on interviews with 33 children.
BRUSSELS, 18 June 2025—Refugee and migrant children arriving in Europe are facing systematic abuse, detention, and misidentification as adults as European Union (EU) countries tighten migration controls ahead of a sweeping new asylum pact, according to a new report by Save the Children.
Calling for greater protections for refugee and migrant children ahead of World Refugee Day, on 20 June, the report examines the situation of children on the move at the EU’s external borders—focusing on Greece, Italy, Finland, Spain, and Poland—and draws on interviews with 33 children.
Researchers warn that the upcoming EU Pact on Migration and Asylum—a reform promised to balance stronger border security with greater protections for migrants—risks failing to safeguard children, particularly unaccompanied minors.
Although the EU Pact is not set to officially take effect until June 2026, several EU countries are already aligning their national policies with it. Some Member States are enacting or expanding restrictive measures such as child detention and reduced access to asylum, fuelling the securitisation of borders—often justified as enhanced national security.
The report warns that these measures have created an environment where children's rights and protections are routinely violated, highlighting cases of children being wrongly identified as adults, placed in adult detention facilities, and left without appropriate care or legal assistance.
Children interviewed for the report described harrowing journeys and arrivals in Europe, including being fired upon and separated from their parents.
Ahmed*, 17, from Egypt, recalled the moment he arrived in Greece:
“We wanted to go to Rhodes. At some point, the boat driver said that the coastguard is 10km away from us so I cannot go any further. We had our passports with us, and we got scared. We started swimming and arrived at Symi, Greece. When we arrived, they started shooting at us, around 70 shots.”
Amin*, 16, from Syria, is living alone in Greece after being smuggled into the country by boat. He was separated from his parents and sister during the journey and his boat made it to a Greek island but their boat was intercepted and turned back.
“I’m alone; far from my parents, and I miss them,” said Amin, who spent four days living on the streets in Greece before moving into a tower block shelter for unaccompanied children. “Here among us, because we’re from different countries, some kids come at night and bang on the doors for no reason. There are only two of us here from Syria. I feel safe, but I would feel better if we didn’t have this issue.”
Countries that are under-resourced to manage refugees and migrants at their borders, combined with increasingly restrictive policies, often leave children—especially unaccompanied minors—without access to adequate, child-friendly services when they arrive in the EU.
Save the Children is warning that there is a real and present danger that a generation of refugee and migrant children will be deprived of their rights even more when the EU Pact comes into effect.
Willy Bergogné, Save the Children Europe’s Director and EU Representative said:
“What is unfolding at the EU’s borders today is a clear violation of children’s rights, and it needs to stop. Governments must take responsibility for the protection of all children, regardless of whether they are from that country or are seeking safety there. No child should be forced to bear the consequences of policies putting deterrence ahead of protection. Penalising asylum seekers for exercising their right to seek protection and turning migration into a criminal act violates international law and betrays the values of humanity and compassion that the EU claims to uphold.
“When the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum becomes legally binding in one year’s time, it risks validating these ongoing violations. This research serves as both a warning and a future-proofing tool to ensure child rights are not pushed aside when the Pact comes into effect. While the Pact has been framed as a balanced compromise between border security and human rights, without stronger enforcement of child rights in its implementation, vulnerable children will continue to fall through the cracks.”
Save the Children is calling for the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights to be upheld in the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.
All EU States must prioritise children’s rights and safety by using fair and child-friendly age and vulnerability assessments so that children are not wrongly identified as adults. Border officials must also be trained in child-sensitive, trauma-informed approaches—especially for girls and survivors of gender-based violence. These assessments should happen in a child-friendly setting, with independent experts who understand children’s needs and work with cultural mediators and a team of specialists. They should consider each child’s physical and mental health, development, background, and environment to make sure the results are as accurate and reliable as possible.
The child rights organisation is also calling for EU Member States to ensure that children are not detained or denied protection under the new migration system.
ENDS
A link to the report can be found here: https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/crossing-lines-realities-of-migrant-children-at-eu-external-borders
