The State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers has launched a pilot project for Bulgaria and the European Union - the creation of alternative social services for unaccompanied refugee children. What challenges does this pose… The Chairman of the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers, Ivan Ivanov, spoke to FACTS.
- Mr. Ivanov, how big a problem are unaccompanied children?
- Serious enough to require a responsible attitude - a large part of the refugees and migrants arriving in Bulgaria are unaccompanied children. They are one of the most vulnerable and sensitive groups among those seeking and receiving international protection in Bulgaria. They arrive on the territory of the country without a parent or legal guardian, often in a difficult emotional and physical state, after experiencing conflicts, losses and risks along the migration route - many of them have experienced violence, sexual exploitation, rape, trafficking, forced marriage or strong emotional or psychological pressure.
Their age, psychological instability, lack of a familiar environment and sometimes traumatic experiences put them at serious risk of social isolation, violence, exploitation and trafficking.
This problem is not only humanitarian, but also requires a systematic, inter-institutional and expertly based approach. In this context, the pilot project that we are starting - to build social services for unaccompanied refugee children, responds to the need to build such a sustainable mechanism. The focus on refugee children is among the priorities for the European Union. And the fact that Bulgaria is one of the seven countries in the European Union that has worthily defended the implementation of such a type of social support, the fact that for the first time such a project will be implemented in our country, is a matter of pride, but also a very great responsibility.
- How many unaccompanied children are there in Bulgaria?
- The statistics on unaccompanied refugee children are alarming. According to it, Bulgaria ranks fourth in terms of the number of unaccompanied minor children in the European Union. In 2014, they were 940, and since 2021 there has been a serious increase in this number, and at the end of 2023 they are already 3,827. In 2020 more than 70% of all children who applied for protection were unaccompanied and separated from their families.
- What is the approach to these children, what procedures do they go through?
- Individual conversations and information meetings are held with the children in a language they understand, in the presence of a social worker, translator or cultural mediator. An assessment of the child's needs is prepared - health condition, psychological status, educational needs, interests, etc. On this basis, they are directed to accommodation in:
- a foster family
- with relatives and friends
- or in an appropriate social service – residential care
Experts from the institutions involved in working with these children provide them with assistance in the accommodation. It is important to say that the child's opinion is taken into account. I would emphasize the approach – because it is important that it is individual, to create a trusting relationship between the child and the social service specialist, to discuss every issue, to explain to them, to include them. This makes protection effective, and the asylum turns into a new home.
- Tell us with examples of what challenges the child himself goes through?
- I talked to experienced experts from active social services. From them I know that working with unaccompanied refugee children is something completely new, even for them, and it is a serious challenge. Two examples impressed me from their stories – fortunately, both are about the successful reintegration of such children. A 6-year-old child from Syria was taken from the registration and reception center in “Ovcha Kupel“ to the Crisis Center – The child is alone, without his parents, he is unwell, with severe, untreated scabies, he has been running a fever for weeks, he is not eating.
Little Rida is admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, he was treated for months until he recovered.
The social care team manages to contact his family. When they arrive, another problem arises - the family is poor, it is not easy for them to find housing. They are again assisted - first they are accommodated in Harmanli, and then in Plovdiv, so that they feel truly supported in this difficult moment.
Another example, again from the practice of an experienced person from an active social service - unaccompanied, alone boy, who came again from Syria. But extremely problematic. According to the social expert, it was very important to build a trusting relationship between the two of them. It was not easy - day after day, after every trouble, the two of them would sit down and talk, at length. Until the boy joined in, already enrolled in school in Ruse.
This time is not easy.
But again I will quote social workers - their greatest satisfaction is when a refugee child calls them, who was almost lost in the new, unfamiliar environment, and tells them that he is already studying at university or that he has adapted and found his second home.
We have good experts, kind-hearted people, dedicated - I believe that the model that will be created to care for unaccompanied refugee children will be workable and successful.
- Where and how are unaccompanied children accommodated?
- Unaccompanied refugee children seeking international protection are accommodated in the so-called “Safe Zones“ at the Registration and Reception Centers (ROC) of the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers. Currently, three Safe Zones are operating: in Sofia - the Registration and Reception Centers in “Voenna Rampa“ and “Ovcha Kupel“ and in the Registration and Reception Center in Harmanli. The third Safe Zone was created with the assistance of UNICEF and with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland. The idea is that from there they will receive such care that they will receive effective support and adapt successfully.
- Let's go back to the pilot project, you said it was for social services for unaccompanied minors and underage children – what do you plan to do?
- It is planned to provide specialized social services to children, unaccompanied refugees, in 4 places in the country (two of them will open 2 services each), so that the children receive quality, accessible and effective intersectoral care services. Four municipalities – Burgas, Ivaylovgrad, Malko Tarnovo and Tundzha, where these social services will be implemented, as well as the Mission of the International Organization for Migration and UNICEF Bulgaria, are our partners in the project.
Here I would like to emphasize something very important - the goal is not just physical accommodation in these centers, but a comprehensive approach to the child, with a focus on his rights, needs, individual action plan and opportunity for social inclusion. This project does not solve the problem in isolation, but on the contrary creates a model of care for a different and unknown in its specificity target group - unaccompanied refugee children.
- UNICEF Bulgaria is a partner in the project. They have experience, but how do you work with them?
- Yes, the State Agency for Refugees under the Council of Ministers works in close cooperation with UNICEF Bulgaria as a strategic and expert partner. Our joint work is based on shared principles of child protection, respect for their rights and ensuring sustainable and integrated support. I would like to emphasize that UNICEF contributes to our common work with its international experience and expertise, adapting proven international practices to the Bulgarian institutional and social context, in order to ensure high quality and long-term sustainability of services for refugee children. This partnership is a key factor in achieving the project's goals and for effective support to some of the most vulnerable groups of children in our country.
-----
Ivan Ivanov is the first Bulgarian to complete a full course for senior management of NATO and the NATO Defense College in Rome. Before that, he graduated as the top of his class from the Military Academy “G.S.Rakovski“ and the Higher Military School “G. Dimitrov“. He held various command positions in the structures of the Bulgarian Army.
Deputy Minister of Defense in 2013-2014. He participated in the UN mission in one of the hottest spots - the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan and as such was responsible for over 5 thousand refugees in his area of responsibility.
He was the regional governor of Sofia region and executive director of the largest state enterprise in the country's military-industrial complex - Vazovski Machine-Building Plants EAD. Ivan Ivanov is the head of numerous projects related to security and defense, and the winner of a number of Bulgarian and foreign awards and distinctions.