Poor standards of accommodation and support for unaccompanied young people seeking asylum have contributed to the disappearance of more than 300 children from State care over the past five years, a seminar heard yesterday.
Héilean Rosenstock-Armie, separated children's officer with the Irish Refugee Council (IRC), said many young people in search of protection here have experienced a hostile and complex immigration system which served to compound trauma they may have suffered.
She said the Government should focus on reforming its policies to ensure vulnerable children in its care - some of whom may be trafficked here for exploitation - receive sufficient levels of support instead of placing its emphasis on tough immigration controls.
Ms Rosenstock-Armie was speaking at the launch of a report by the Irish Refugee Council, Making Separated Children Visible: The Need for a Child-Centred Approach, which highlights deficiencies in the care system for separated children seeking asylum.
It makes a number of recommendations, such as extending social work services in Ireland to a 24-hour service; accommodation centres for separated children to be placed under the remit of the Social Services Inspectorate; and independent representation for separated children such as a guardian ad litem service.
International research suggests that significant numbers of unaccompanied children who seek asylum are being trafficked here for financial or sexual exploitation
One of the Government's two rapporteurs on child protection, solicitor Geoffrey Shannon, expressed concern that the Government had not signed up to the Council of Europe's convention on action against trafficking of people.
He also said it was imperative that legislation in this area, along with policy developments, should reflect a core principle of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This states that children should be treated first and foremost as children and that a child's best interests should prevail in issues affecting them, such as immigration policy.
A 17-year-old Rwandan unaccompanied minor who was granted asylum in 2003 told yesterday's seminar of difficulties facing separated children living in State care. Robert - whose full identity is protected because he is a minor - said hostels were not ideal places to send vulnerable children who were often need of psychological support. He also said the weekly allowance of just €19.10 made it difficult to integrate with Irish young people.
"I'm not sure if Irish children get an allowance of €19.10. The cinema is €7, so if a friend asks you to go, you can't.
"In school you are almost discouraged from going because you wonder what will happen to you when you finish," he said.
