Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Palestinian media: Israeli occupation forces storm the Old City in the center of Nablus, occupied West Bank
Local sources to Al Mayadeen: Sudanese army forces drones strike town of Kabkabiya, North Darfur.
Syrian Observatory: The plane is loaded with air defense systems and heavy weapons as part of US troop reinforcements to its bases in northeastern Syria
Syrian Observatory: US cargo plane lands with two military helicopters at Kharab al-Jir base in the countryside of Rmeilan, north of Hasakah
Miguel Díaz-Canel to Gustavo Petro: US seeks to reimpose the Monroe Doctrine in its relations with sovereign states in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the military wing of the PFLP, says they handed over the body of an Israeli captive to the Israeli occupation forces in implementation of the clauses of the ceasefire agreement.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: Israeli drones are flying over the presidential palace in Baabda, Mount Lebanon, and over the skies of the capital, Beirut, and its suburbs.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli warplanes launch a series of raids on the al-Mahmoudiya and Jarmaq areas
Trump reiterates proposal for Russia and Ukraine to stop at current front line, negotiate later
Reuters: Trump says no discussion regarding Ukraine ceding Donbas to Russia

Spain, Greece, Hungary scolded for maltreating minor asylum seekers

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 24 Jan 2024 11:02
  • 2 Shares
5 Min Read

In a saga of children's rights violations, courts have found the European countries liable for the maltreatment of minors seeking asylum within their borders. 

  • x
  • Migrants wear life vests as they are rescued by a MSF (Medecins Sans Frontiers) rescue team boat, after leaving Libya trying to reach European soil, in the Mediterranean Sea, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. (AP)
    Migrants wear life vests as they are rescued by a MSF (Medecins Sans Frontiers) rescue team boat, after leaving Libya trying to reach European soil, in the Mediterranean Sea, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. (AP)

Courts have been reprimanding each of Spain, Greece, and Hungary for disregarding children's rights and their protection, The Guardian reported.

In a saga of children's rights violations, courts found the European countries liable for the maltreatment of minors seeking asylum within their borders. 

Spain

The first incident was berated by the Spanish Supreme Court as Spanish authorities mass deported Moroccan refugees who had crossed the border into Spain, amid the Western Sahara conflict between Madrid and Rabat. Spain opted to deport at least 700 unaccompanied minors without considering and investigating their circumstances.

The court ruled this move was illegal, saying it endangered their lives and put them at risk of "severe psychological harm," breached the country's minors protection and domestic immigration laws, and violated the European Convention on Human Rights. 

At the time of the incident, Spanish broadcaster RTVE conducted interviews with 10 immigrant children, all between the ages of 13 and 16. It was reported that they escaped state care to avoid being deported and have been living in the trenches, but would rather have that over going somewhere else where they would be "worse off". The children also revealed that authorities did not ask for any background information when they first crossed the border and did not acknowledge their circumstances. 

Spain's Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, defended the decision to mass deport immigrants, claiming it complied with the law and considered the children's best interests, in a discussion with reporters on Tuesday. 

Hungary

The Spanish shenanigans came just a few days after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled against the Hungarian authorities' endangerment of a 16-year-old Iraqi Kurd immigrant who was sent to the Siberian wilderness after he told police that he was seeking asylum in Hungary. The court chastised the decision, saying the child's age takes precedence over his status as an illegal immigrant, and that his condition, being an unaccompanied minor, makes him vulnerable and in need of aid. 

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a local non-governmental organization that first presented the case, criticized the government's repetitive misconduct toward asylum seekers, legal adults and minors alike.

Related News

Lavrov, Rubio discuss preparations for Putin-Trump summit

EU nears deal to fund Ukraine with frozen Russian assets

“Instead of deporting children without due process, it would be much better for everyone if Hungary were to review asylum applications under a fair asylum system. Because the Hungarian government has been causing suffering and harm for years,” it said in a statement. 

Greece

On Tuesday, the EHCR also ruled against the Greek government following its failure to protect an Afgan teenage asylum seeker who arrived in Greece in 2018 and was left homeless for the six months that followed. It was revealed that the minor was fending for himself without any cooperation or governmental aid in an unsafe environment that did not provide basic life necessities like hygiene, accommodation, food, and more. 

By the end of 2020, following insistence from the United Nations, Greece developed protection systems that took in asylum seekers, indicating that most of them have been residing in Greek shelters. 

A recurrent phenomenon across Europe

The report showcases only the recent incidents of incompetent child protective services in Europe when it comes to minor asylum seekers. 

In precedents, the EHCR rebuked France for subjecting an 11-year-old asylum seeker to inhumane conditions and degrading treatment after he was forced to live in the ghettos of Calais, exposed to severe danger, in the absence of government security. 

Reportedly, the environment he was in was “completely unsuited to his status as a child and in a situation of insecurity rendered unacceptable by his young age.”

In Britain, 132 minors are missing after 400 unaccompanied minors vanished from asylum hotels. The British High Court ordered the UK Home Office to stop sending them to hotels, where official follow-up and care are limited. 

Read more: France joins UK in controversial 'asylum ban' draft bill talks

The migrant crisis poses a risk to EU unity

Despite the EU's commitment to free movement, it has not shown the same flexibility when it comes to asylum applicants. Some member states have resorted to physical barriers, such as Hungary's border fence, to deter migrants. 

The EU is facing a critical challenge in dealing with the issue of migration, which has the potential to undermine its very existence.

As previously migrant-friendly countries like Germany and Sweden distance themselves from migrants arriving on Europe's southern shores, it threatens to devolve into a situation where each country prioritizes its own interests. This could provoke strong reactions from nations highly affected by migrant inflows.

While the EU managed to weather the sovereign debt crisis a decade ago, the migrant crisis poses an even greater threat to its unity, op-ed Ross Clark wrote for The Telegraph.

The high-minded ideals that underpin the EU have been severely tested and appear to lack the structural integrity required to address the current challenges effectively.

  • Hungary
  • Migration Crisis
  • Europe
  • Spain
  • Greece
  • human rights violations
  • Human Rights
  • European Union

Most Read

Iran strikes secret Israeli-US bunker under Tel Aviv high-rise

Tel Aviv high-rise struck by Iran hid Site 81, secret US-Israeli base

  • Politics
  • 14 Oct 2025
Yemeni Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari , during a ceremony in an undisclosed locations in Yemen, undate (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemeni Armed Forces mourn martyred Chief of Staff al-Ghamari

  • Politics
  • 16 Oct 2025
Israeli occupation violates Gaza ceasefire, killing seven Palestinians.

Israeli occupation violates Gaza ceasefire, kills seven Palestinians

  • Politics
  • 14 Oct 2025
Zionists Fundamentally Misread Iran Due To Their Own Echo Chambers

Zionists fundamentally misread Iran due to their own echo chambers

  • Analysis
  • 15 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
UK blocks release of documents on secretive Lammy-Sa’ar meeting.
Politics

UK blocks release of documents on secret Lammy-Sa’ar meeting

Colombia slams Trump’s drug accusation, defends sovereignty
Politics

Colombia slams Trump’s incendiary drug claims, defends sovereignty

The abuse was detailed in Giuffre's memoir "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice." (AP)
Politics

Epstein victim recounts choking, sexual assault by 'well-known PM'

The US Secret Service discovered a hunting stand near the airport President Donald Trump uses in Florida. (US Secret Service)
Politics

FBI probes hunting stand with sightline to Trump’s Air Force One exit

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS