Legal representation of unaccompanied minors

What

Legal representation during the asylum procedure of an unaccompanied person who is under 18 years.

Who

Unaccompanied minor is a person who is younger than 18 years and entered to Hungary without his/her official guardian or left alone after entering to Hungary.

How

The authority notifies the guardianship authority immediately and arranges the placement of the child. The guardianship authority nominates a guardian in 8 days.

In case of any type of violence against the rights of the minors you have to contact the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights.

There are also civil associations that pay special attention to the situation of accompanied minors, the most important is the Hungarian Helsinki Committee. You can find them on this link (in English, in Hungarian): http://www.helsinki.hu/en/

When

The procedure starts right after the child crosses the borders, the authority has to conclude the asylum process out of turn.

Where

The refugee authority starts the process right next to the borders and they decide about the placement of the unaccompanied minors. These are usually special refugee camps or children’s homes.