Definition of unaccompanied minors

A refugee is someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion (according to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention 1

). Refugees are distinguished from asylum seekers (individuals seeking international protection whose claim for refugee status has not yet been decided) and from other immigrants who leave their homes voluntarily for reasons such as seeking better life opportunities.

In the European Union, unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) or unaccompanied minors (UMI) are defined as third-country nationals or stateless persons below the age of 18 who arrive on the territory of the member states unaccompanied by an adult responsible for them whether by law or custom and for as long as they are not effectively taken into care of such a person, or minors who are left unaccompanied after they have entered the territory of the member states (article 2(f) of the EU Council Directive 2001/55/ EC). 2

The figure below shows that ‘unaccompanied minors’ also refers to children who do not actually arrive alone.

This report will use the term ‘unaccompanied minors’ and ‘UMI’ throughout the text.

Figure 1. Unaccompanied children (scope)

Unaccompanied children

Arriving alone Arriving with underage or adult sibling Arriving with underage or adult partner/spouse

Arriving with other adult ’not responsible’