This fall, U.S.-based leaders from KIND’s Global Legal team traveled to Poland, Slovakia, and Italy to meet with KIND partners and staff to learn firsthand about their work advocating for the legal protection of unaccompanied children across Europe. The visit fostered alignment and the sharing of best practices, successes, and challenges across continents to strengthen KIND’s mission to help children on the move wherever they are.
“It was inspiring to be reminded that we’re part of a larger network and we’re all working towards the same goals,” said KIND’s Senior Advisor for Global Legal Programs Christie Turner-Herbas. “While the context varies by region and by country, the themes and overarching vision are the same—to ensure that children on the move have an opportunity to seek protection with an attorney by their side, in a system that recognizes their unique needs and vulnerabilities.”
In each of these countries—Poland, Slovakia, and Italy—KIND is promoting its child-centered and trauma-informed model in which children have the guidance of legal counsel to help make determinations about their case. This is particularly challenging because traditionally, children in the region are not viewed with the legal capacity to make their own decisions in legal cases. Our staff and partners in Europe are making inroads in developing a system where children’s rights and voices are heard in their cases.
In Poland, the team met with KIND’s partners who work with unaccompanied children, including Ukrainian children displaced by the war, and observed a shelter for displaced Ukrainian families. The visit also marked the unveiling of a new Know Your Rights guide for Ukrainian youth created jointly with our pro bono partners and partner the Ukrainian House to help these children access their rights and protection.
In Slovakia, the team met with our staff attorney and learned more about KIND’s anti-trafficking program in Slovakia. And lastly in Northern Italy, the team met with partners working near the border with Slovenia, where significant numbers of children have arrived seeking safety and reunification with family in Europe.
Christie added:
I was struck by the similarities and common themes between the U.S.-Mexico border and what’s happening across borders in Eastern Europe. Many of the challenges named by colleagues are the very same challenges we encounter in the United States and at the U.S.-Mexico border. Age determination practices by authorities, barriers to language access, and obstacles to child-centered legal services are common challenges, to name a few. It was clear to me that just as we have seen at the U.S.-Mexico border over the years, children get caught up in systems and migration policies not designed with them in mind. KIND’s work is vital no matter what border is involved to ensure access to protection and specialized legal services.
