аЯрЁБс>ўџ 46ўџџџ3џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅСY ПщbjbjѓWѓW &$‘=‘=Е3џџџџџџ]€€€€€€€””””8Ь и”БЖvxxxxxx$gє[ rœ€œі€€іііv€€v””€€€€vі€іv€€vє Рй‘OёЇС””ŒjvSave the Children comments on Proposal for a Council Regulation on establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the member states by a third country national (Com 2001) 447 final Further information available from: - Diana Sutton – European officer Save the Children – European officer 39 Rue Montoyer B 1000 Brussels Belgium Tel : + 32 2 512 7851 Fax + 32 2 513 4903 E mail  HYPERLINK "mailto:savechildbru@skynet.be" savechildbru@skynet.be Introduction Save the Children is an international child rights NGO working globally to promote the rights and interests of the child. At European level Save the Children is working to ensure that the principle of the best interests of the child is visible in all relevant EU legislation, policy and programmes. Traditionally children have been invisible in international refugee law, despite the fact that specific measures are needed to protect refugee and asylum seeking children and to realise their rights. There is a large proportion of children in refugee populations and many children become separated from their parents or normal caregivers as a result of the circumstances in which refugees find themselves. Save the Children’s particular concern is for separated children (i.e. unaccompanied refugee children). Revision of the Dublin Convention Save the Children is confining its comments to the parts of the Directive which relate to children and has not made general comments on other provisions of the Directive. Our general comment is that very few children achieve recognition rates under the Geneva Convention and most rely on complementary protection. However for those children who do receive Geneva Convention status, the process of finding which state is responsible for examining an asylum application must be more efficient than it is today. For a child long waiting times can have disastrous consequences. We believe that the revised Dublin Convention should make a general reference to the principle of the best interests of the child in cases when a child is concerned, in order to be consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and with other EU Directives in this area. Article 2 - Definitions Save the Children welcomes the definition used in Article 2 (h) of unaccompanied minor and Article 2 (i) on family members both of which define the child as under 18. Justification It is important that EU texts reflect internationally agreed definitions. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), ratified by all member states of the European Union clearly defines the age of the child as 18. Article 4 – General Principles Save the Children welcomes part (4) of this article which states that a child accompanying an asylum seeker, that meets the definition of family member shall be indissociable from his or her parent or guardian and shall be a matter for the member state responsible for the parent or guardian. This clause would have the effect of ensuring that the family is kept together and the children not separated from parents or guardians. Article 6 - Unaccompanied Minors Save the Children welcomes Article 6 which has a strong child perspective. However the article should explicitly state that a separated (unaccompanied) child is united with extended family members (aunts, uncles), if it is in the best interests of the child. At present the text refers only to family members and does not explicitly deal with a situation where an unaccompanied child has no immediate family members or no extended family with which s/he can be placed. Clearly it would usually be beneficial for a child to be placed with extended family rather than foster family or other. We believe that reference should also be made in this article to the child’s right to participate in decisions, according to their age and maturity (consistent with Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child). The article should also refer to the child’s right to receive information in a manner appropriate to the child, so that s/he is able to understand it. Article 16 – Humanitarian Clause Article 16, the humanitarian clause allows member states to maintain the unity of the family group where this is not covered in other clauses in the draft Directive. We believe that this clause should also include a reference to children, as there may be situations which are not covered in Article 6. December 01 Save The Children Brussels Office Rue Montoyer 39, B-1000 Brussels Tel: + 32 2 512 78 51 Fax: + 32 2 513 4903 E-mail: savechildbru@skynet.be Save the Children Europe Group Members: Denmark Finland France Greece Iceland Italy Macedonia The Netherlands Norway Romania Spain Sweden United Kingdom йкр љ ЕЛIсшщ§і§ьічі§у§пй§ 56CJ5CJ5CJ0JCJjCJU jCJUCJ:;[€— ЈОв !./\]_ ` ‚ ƒ Т У љ Ђ Ѓ §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§:;[€— ЈОв!./\]_ ` ‚ ƒ Т У љ Ђ Ѓ Б В ‘’“ВГлмfg‰ŠлмTUvwЇЈЕЗИЛIЇтчшщўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўўћўјјјјўўў  =Ѓ Б В ‘’“ВГлмfg‰ŠлмTUvwЇЈЕЖЗИЙКЛ§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ћ§ћ§љ§ЛIЇтуфхцчшщќќќќњјњіњњњ$ $Аа/ Ар=!А"Аж#)$ %АА‡АgпDаЩъyљКЮŒ‚ЊKЉ savechildbru@skynet.beрЩъyљКЮŒ‚ЊKЉ <mailto:savechildbru@skynet.be [0@ёџ0NormalCJOJQJmH 0@0 Heading 1$@&5<A@ђџЁ<Default Paragraph Font,@ђ,Header  Ц9r , @,Footer  Ц9r *B@* Body Text5(U@Ђ!( Hyperlink>*B*щ $џџџџ.025щ Ѓ ЛщщйщXџ„‡OY_ ` T a Есщ2HчъЈ­[a'3gll  Џ Д w‡ЕчъџџISCAHD:\Documents\Asylum & Refugee Children\Dublin Convention Comments(1).docISCA@D:\Office\AutoRecovery save of Dublin Convention Comments(1).asdISCA@D:\Office\AutoRecovery save of Dublin Convention Comments(1).asdISCA@D:\Office\AutoRecovery save of Dublin Convention Comments(1).asdISCA@D:\Office\AutoRecovery save of Dublin Convention Comments(1).asdISCA@D:\Office\AutoRecovery save of Dublin Convention Comments(1).asdISCA@D:\Office\AutoRecovery save of Dublin Convention Comments(1).asdsianEC:\Sian's folders\internet\Brussels\Dublin Convention Comments(1).docџ@€ДД ПѕSSДДщА@G‡ŸTimes New Roman5€Symbol3& ‡ŸArial"qˆаhэтa&этa& ЬBІ™!ЅРДД€20dэџџD:\Office\ourletterhead.dot ISCAsianўџр…ŸђљOhЋ‘+'Гй0l˜ЄАРЬф є  ( 4 @LT\dф ssISCAfSCAourletterheadosiantte2anMicrosoft Word 8.0@@ŽV/ЋП@†O7ёЇС@†O7ёЇС™ўџеЭеœ.“—+,љЎDеЭеœ.“—+,љЎ0ь hp€ˆ˜  ЈАИ Р ЮфSCFUKsэш  Title0(RZВ _PID_GUID _PID_HLINKSфAN{A387961B-E2E0-11D3-8780-0050040AA69F}At(mailto:savechildbru@skynet.be ўџџџўџџџ !"ўџџџ$%&'()*ўџџџ,-./012ўџџџ§џџџ5ўџџџўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRoot Entryџџџџџџџџ РFАтNёЇС 'СOёЇС7€Data џџџџџџџџџџџџ1TableџџџџџџџџWordDocumentџџџџ&$SummaryInformation(џџџџџџџџџџџџ#DocumentSummaryInformation8џџџџџџџџ+CompObjџџџџjObjectPoolџџџџџџџџџџџџ 'СOёЇС 'СOёЇСўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџ џџџџ РFMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.8є9Вq