Childmove Project

Evidence of border violence that occurs along the Central Mediterranean Route echoes ERC-ChildMove’s project findings on the experiences of minors and Nigerian young victims during their migration trajectories.

Conducted between 2017 and 2021 by Ghent University, the ChildMove study provided unique empirical evidence on the experiences of unaccompanied minors and Nigerian young of trafficking in relation to:

▶ Border violence during flight
▶ Unaccompanied minors' experiences in Libya,
▶ Detention of unaccompanied minors in Libya, Greece and across Europe
▶ Unaccompanied minors' mobility in Europe
▶ Nigerian victims of trafficking in Italy
▶ Experiences of stigma and discrimination in Europe
▶ Care structures in Europe
▶ Factors impacting the evolutions in their mental health.

Check out the ChildMove study findings as compiled in our report:https://childmove.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/19286_ERC_ChildMove_Report_WEB.pdf

And the ChildMove website to learn more about the study: https://childmove.com

Illustrations: Antonis Foradis

Another achievement from Childmove researchers Sarah Adeyinka, Ine Lietaert and Ilse Derluyn who recently published an article titled "She said this might be God’s way of taking care of us. Family involvement in human trafficking" in the International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care.

Well done !

Link to the article here: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJMHSC-11-2022-0116/full/html?skipTracking=true&fbclid=IwAR3miTBcO5xvCuKKfxdP0LPdoh3-dQlEcP3isLIubYY0mGTbbDEurOaNmPk

The final ChildMove project dissemination event takes place next week in Brussels!

New article published based on the ChildMove research!

Our researcher Marina Rota just published a Dutch version of her reflection titled 'The best interests of the child: easy excuse for bad policies' in the Dutch newspaper Sociaal.Net.
Link here
👇
https://sociaal.net/opinie/het-belang-van-het-kind-makkelijk-excuus-voor-slecht-beleid/

Het belang van het kind: makkelijk excuus voor slecht beleid ‘Je kan niet enkel pro-mensenrechten zijn wanneer het uitkomt.’

18/01: 16.00-18.00h

Invitation to the public defence of Malte Behrendt's doctoral dissertation titled:

'On the road to mental health. Sources of support amidst stressful experiences in the lives of unaccompanied refugee minors'

This dissertation investigates the mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors travelling through and settling in Europe as part of the ERC-funded ChildMove project. With a special focus on the Belgian context, our results testify to the drastic consequences of both stressful life events and daily stressors in terms of mental health outcomes. At the same time, they highlight the resilience that these young people show, particularly in relation to different coping strategies and diverse social support networks.

If you would like to attend the public defence via zoom, please use this link:

https://ugent-be.zoom.us/j/98597458646?pwd=ME8vaWdFT05hZFRxMW9uMDVrVXh0Zz09

Meeting ID: 985 9745 8646
Passcode: 9RqzKumz

CHILDMOVE DISSEMINATION EVENT IN BELGIUM

After almost five years, our ERC-funded project has reached its final stage. We collected and analyzed a lot of data and now we would like to share the results with you.

This is the first of several dissemination events, which will focus on the results from the Belgian part of the study. However, we will also present findings from the other research contexts.

The event will take place online on 27 January from 12.00-15.30h.

If you would like to attend this meeting, please register here:

https://webappsx.ugent.be/eventManager/events/childmove

And join us via zoom:
https://ugent-be.zoom.us/j/96700201736?pwd=NWhnV3dNbzlUMDh4dXpKTytwZ2cwZz09

Meeting ID: 967 0020 1736
Passcode: BMN4TqWg

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On January 18 at 4 p.m., our researcher Malte Behrendt will publicly defend his PhD entitled "On the road to mental health. Sources of support amidst stressful experiences in the lives of unaccompanied refugee minors".

Part of the ChildMove project, this dissertation investigates the mental health of unaccompanied refugee minors travelling through and settling in Europe. With a special focus on the Belgian context, our results testify to the drastic consequences of both stressful life events and daily stressors in terms of mental health outcomes. At the same time, they highlight the resilience that these young people show, particularly in relation to different coping strategies and diverse social support networks.

Save the date and stay tuned for the link to follow the event online!

Our PI, Ilse Derluyn was on the EUROCITIES podcast to share the findings of the Childmove project.
She highlighted the challenges unaccompanied refugee minors and youth face during their journeys to and within Europe, especially when connecting European cities through their search for protection and belonging.

Want to know more ? 🤓 Listen to the podcast here :

All children have a right to their future “They took me at the police station and took away my shoes… Then they locked me with other people in a cell. We were around 40 people. Children and adults. Some were sleeping on the floor. If you were asking for something, the police officers were beating you or kicking you with their boots.” ...

📣A new Childmove blog post is now available !!

Our colleague, Marina Rota, shares her opinion on the convenient use of the 'best interest of the child' principle in national policies.

To read more, check it out on the Childmove website! 👇

The best interest of the child – the most convenient excuse? | ChildMove Project- Ghent University The best interest of the child – the most convenient excuse? by Marina Rota | Sep 8, 2021 | Blog post | 0 comments Having worked with children at risk for the last 20 years, I keep finding the phrase “best interest of the child” not only in legal texts but also in my daily work. This broad ter...