Minors were involved

Involving children in acts of violence, detention, and mistreatment is a vicious violation of international law and human rights standards – and yet it continuous to happen in many incidents. This includes physical abuse, denial of basic needs, and exposure to degrading treatment.

The 17-year-old brother of the main respondent wished to add: “This is not the first time. It happened 7 times like this. I don’t know if they will kill me if I try one more time. Why wouldn’t they kill me, is there a camera inside the forest to record if they decide to kill us? It’s the middle of nowhere. We don’t even want to stay in their country. We just want to pass through it. We’re not harming their citizens, we’re not stealing anything. They see us going through the forest, we don’t disturb anyone, we just try to pass by unseen. They know we’re just kids, why do they treat us like terrorists? ”

– Respondent in Bihać

Testimonies like this from Bihać demontrate that even children are not spared from European border violence. As well as exemplifying a utter disregard for safety, development, and well-being, it is also a direct violation of the Convention on the Rights if the Child, such as Article 37 which prohibits the torture, inhuman treatement, or unlawful deprivation of the liberty of children. These acts can also cause severe long-term psychological and physical harm to the children involved, and yet the vast majority of these cases (including where children are involved) continue unprosecuted and without response or accountability from the EU or member states.