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Italy has enacted comprehensive legislation to protect the rights of unaccompanied children arriving in Italy. While flaws remain in Italy's treatment of these particularly vulnerable migrants, the country's protection-focused approach sets an example to other countries.
In March 2017, Italy became the first European country to legislate a comprehensive framework protecting unaccompanied children. Close to three years after the bill was first introduced, and following concerted advocacy by human rights organisations during the parliamentary process, the 'Provisions on protective measures for unaccompanied foreign minors'1 was passed with a large majority. It is referred to as the 'Zampa' law after the Italian politician who proposed it, and its provisions are based on extensive experience in the field with unaccompanied children and on international child rights principles.
Hailed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as a model for other European countries and described by Save the Children as the "most elaborate system for child protection in Europe", the Zampa law emerged in response to the large numbers of unaccompanied children travelling across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy. Between 1 January and 31 December 2017, 15,779 unaccompanied children entered Italy by sea.2 These children come predominantly from African countries, Bangladesh and Syria and many recent reports have illustrated the difficulty and desperation of their journeys, the sexual and physical abuse they often encounter, and their vulnerability to human traffickers.3
The European Union (EU) has taken a number of steps to address the protection needs of unaccompanied children, including revising both the Common European Asylum System and the EU Return Directive, and implementing its Action Plan on Unaccompanied Minors 2010-2014.4 Notwithstanding these actions, and despite the efforts of some EU states, many countries lack specific laws or comprehensive frameworks...