PES Deputy Secretary General, Marije Laffeber said:
“Too often migrant children are looked at from an immigration perspective, when we should be looking at them from a child protection perspective, when we should be caring about their specific needs and problems. We want to make sure that all children in Europe are able to fully participate in our societies, for their sake and for the sake of our societies as well, whether they just arrived in Europe or whether they are 2nd or 3rd generation”.
The PES Migration Network has gathered representatives from 13 PES parties and member organisations to discuss best practices over two days, including a field visit to Fgura Local Council to learn about the local integration work. Some tools such as mentoring and multilingualism – currently being used in Cyprus – were discussed for the integration of children at school and the dangers of rigid identities was stressed.
Ann Marie Pisani and Alfred Grixti, from Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers, Kahin Ismail, from the UNHCR, and Edward Zammit Lewis, Minister for European Affairs and Equality of Malta, will take part in the public event co-hosted with PL Malta.
