Luxembourg to Strengthen Accommodation Measures for Unaccompanied Minor Asylum Seekers

On Friday 18 November 2022, Luxembourg's Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Jean Asselborn, issued the following statement with regard to a report published by Ombudsman for children and young people (Ombudsman fir Kanner a Jugendlecher - OKAJU) titled “A childhood put on hold” (Une enfance mise en suspens).

I express my thanks to the OKAJU for their annual report 2022 "A childhood put on hold" and the good collaboration between our services. This report, which I have read carefully, and the daily work done by OKAJU, are of paramount importance for the defence of children's rights on Luxembourg territory and in particular in terms of childcare who have unfortunately often experienced particularly difficult situations during their journey to Luxembourg.

The European Union and its Member States, including Luxembourg, are facing a massive influx of people requesting international protection: this is why the network of accommodation structures of the National Reception Office (ONA) is currently saturated. Indeed, since the beginning of 2022, 3,677 applicants for temporary protection and 2,781 applicants for international protection have been accommodated by the ONA. These figures greatly exceed those of the migration crisis of the years 2015-2016.

In this tense context, the establishment or even the maintenance of emergency structures for the accommodation of applicants for international protection or temporary protection has proven to be essential. Certainly, these emergency structures, such as the halls of Mersch, do not constitute an optimal solution in the long term. Nevertheless, it is the mission of the Luxembourg State and the ONA to offer accommodation to anyone fleeing their country and in search of safety. My services are constantly looking for better accommodation options so that emergency facilities that do not offer satisfactory accommodation conditions can be closed as soon as possible.

In addition, Luxembourg is focusing on the most vulnerable people, the first victims of these migrations, and whose number has been significantly higher since this summer. In this regard, the ONA, together with the ONE, is emphasising the provision of suitable accommodation measures for all unaccompanied minors in order to protect them and offer them suitable supervision.