Unaccompanied foreign minors, Switzerland alongside Italy and UNHCR

The Sicignano degli Alburni center currently welcomes 25 unaccompanied foreign minors, mainly aged between 16 and 17, who reside in the facility for a minimum of 8 to a maximum of 18 months. The main nationalities are Egypt and Bangladesh, while other kids come from Tunisia and Guinea. It is one of the 34 reception facilities so far involved in the project Enhancing Reception and Protection Services for Unaccompanied Children in Italy, promoted by the Italian Ministry of the Interior, the Swiss Secretariat of State for Migration (SEM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

During the visit, Ambassador Balzaretti met the minors present and the operators of the center, to talk about the needs and requests of the children welcomed. A moment of dialogue, which is part of the ‘On the Way with Switzerland’ initiative which will take the Ambassador to the twenty Italian regions by 2027, to strengthen the dialogue and the close relationship between Switzerland and Italy. In memory of each trip, the Ambassador will donate a bench to a local institution, produced in Switzerland with recycled materials, which will remain in the community as a place of exchange, dialogue and information.

“Migration is a global phenomenon that affects all European states. Last year I visited a reception center in Como; even today – after speaking with both the team and the young people – I can say this: I am struck by the work that our partners do with the authorities and with the managers of the centers that accompany teenagers who arrive alone and support them in finding and following their own path. With the second Swiss contribution we support this project, which aims to strengthen the assistance structures for unaccompanied foreign minors throughout Italy, from north to south. The staff also benefits greatly, because experiences and good practices are exchanged between the different regions. Cultural mediators have a very important role: they work closely with young people to create a climate of trust and it is precisely this trust that allows us to build a common future together” declared Ambassador Balzaretti.

“Minors who arrive in Italy alone have faced long and difficult journeys and need, first of all, a safe place where they can be listened to, supported and accompanied in building their future. Strengthening the quality of reception and supporting the staff who work every day in the centers is essential to ensure that each child receives the attention and protection they need. The collaboration between the Italian institutions, Switzerland and the UNHCR represents an important step to offer increasingly effective responses, in full respect of the superior interest of the minor,” said Anna Leer, UNHCR deputy representative for Italy, the Holy See, Malta and San Marino.

The Strengthening Reception and Protection Services for Unaccompanied Children in Italy project, launched in October 2024, was created to support the efforts of the Italian authorities in identifying needs and developing individual inclusion and protection paths. In 2025, the arrivals of unaccompanied foreign minors were 12,177, equal to approximately 18% of the total arrivals by sea. A growing number compared to 2024, when they were 13%. To date, around 16,000 unaccompanied foreign minors live in Italy. Many of them remain in the country for years, facing complex processes of integration, education, legal protection and psychological support. The project aims to strengthen the reception system dedicated to them; to date, the fundamental challenge, from the perspective of the best interests of the minor, remains that of strengthening and increasing individualized support interventions, to respond increasingly effectively to the risk of children falling into criminal networks, ending up victims of abuse and exploitation.

The project activities are divided into four main pillars: Strengthening institutional coordination: improving joint work between national and local levels, in coherence with the priorities of the Italian Government and with the other support activities already underway. Direct interventions in reception centres: operate in strategic regions such as Lombardy, Puglia, Basilicata and Campania, where there was a lack of specialized interventions from international agencies and NGOs, guaranteeing concrete support for minors. Psychosocial support is offered through Save the Children, UNHCR’s operational partner; information on rights and future prospects; recreational activities to promote emotional well-being and promote inclusion and a sense of normality. The daily presence of operators also allows us to obtain valuable information on the needs of young people and therefore to identify the areas in which it is possible to improve the protection and reception system.

Training and support for center staff: develop the skills of first reception center operators to strengthen the quality of assistance offered to minors. And finally identification of the needs of minors: putting the needs of minors back at the centre, within the centres, with the aim of supporting the Italian authorities in identifying the areas to be strengthened.