During 2015, a total of 13 children were reunited from Cyprus with their families residing in other European member states, according to “Hope For Children” UNCRC Policy Center.
A press release issued on Monday said that since July 2014 “Hope For Children” UNCRC Policy Center has been running, with the cooperation of the Social Welfare Services, the children shelter “Home for Hope”.
“`Home for Hope` was set up with the intention to provide unaccompanied children with more than just accommodation. It was rather set up in such manner as to provide holistic services to the children that would cover all aspects of their daily lives and attend to their needs in the fullest extent possible. One of such services offered is that of family tracing and reunification,” it is added.
According to the press release, during 2015 a total of 13 children were reunited with their families residing in other European Member States, while more applications are currently being processed.
“Also, in the past there have been several cases of family reunification with third countries. This was made possible through the excellent communication and cooperation with national agencies such as the Asylum Service, and specifically the Dublin Office that handles such applications, the Social Welfare Services, who are the legal guardian of the minors, and our partners in other member states who have offered their insight and expertise during the processing of the applications and upon the minors’ arrival in the destination country,” it is added.
Through constant follow ups on the cases of the minors who have been reunified with their families in countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France and Germany, we are pleased to know that they are now happy and in a safe environment, surrounded by family members. This gives us hope and motivation to keep providing our services so that more children find their way home to their families, safely, the Center said.
Family reunification is one of the legal and administrative procedures that affects the minors greatly, emotionally, psychologically and developmentally. It is also one of the most time consuming and emotional procedures that take place in the children’s lives. In order to safeguard that despite the outcome of the procedure children will come out of it intact the staff provide support and guidance, in their respective field of expertise, through all the stages of the procedure.
According to the press release, as of November 2015 and for the next two years, the operation of “Home for Hope” is co-funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund of the Internal Affairs Funds of the Ministry of Interior (90%) and the Republic of Cyprus (10%).