Antine Zijlstra

The developmental consequences for asylum-seeking children living with the prospect for five years or more of enforced return to their home country

This study examines the European legal framework and policy on children’s rights and on the development and developmental risks of children from asylum-seeking families who have lived in asylum centres for over five years with the prospect of being forced to return to their home country. The legal procedures and practices of Member States in the Western European countries seem to be far too lengthy, and the standards for reception far too low to protect the children’s positive development.

Knowledge of the unknown child: A systematic review of the elements of the Best Interests of the Child Assessment for recently arrived refugee children

Decision-making regarding an asylum request of a minor requires decision-makers to determine the best interests of the child when the minor is relatively unknown. This article presents a systematic review of the existing knowledge of the situation of recently arrived refugee children in the host country. This research is based on the General Comment No. 14 of UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. It shows the importance of knowing the type and number of stressful life events a refugee child has experienced before arrival, as well as the duration and severity of these events. The most common mental health problems children face upon arrival in the host country are PTSD, depression and various anxiety disorders. The results identify the relevant elements of the best interests of the child assessment, including implications for procedural safeguards, which should promote a child rights-based decision in the asylum procedure.

Recently arrived refugee children: The quality and outcomes of Best Interests of the Child assessments

Best Interests of the Child (BIC) assessments provide migration authorities with behavioral information about which interests of the child could be taken into account before a decision is made on the request for a residence permit. This study provides insight into the quality and outcomes of BIC assessments with 16 unaccompanied children (15-18 years) and 11 accompanied children (4-16 years) who have recently arrived in the Netherlands and requested asylum (N = 27). The results suggest that BIC assessments provide relevant information that enables assessors to determine the best interests of recently arrived refugee children. The inter-rater reliability of the BIC-Questionnaire, an instrument that evaluates the child-rearing environment and that is one of the components of the BIC assessment, was fairly good. The children in the sample had experienced a high number of stressful life events and a majority reported trauma related stress symptoms or other emotional problems. The quality of the child-rearing environment in the country of origin had protected their development insufficiently in the past and would not protect their development sufficiently in the future. The results show that in many cases forced return to the country of origin can put childrens development at risk.