Italy > Minors

last update: January 2016

Rights of minors and vulnerable people

Foreign minors cannot be expelled or deported and police must inform the authorities as soon as possible of their presence to the relevant Courts for minors.

With the new law (nuovo decreto legge 14)2, which became law on September 30, 2015, minors are entitled to special services within the reception system.

If you are a minor and you are alone in Italy:

  • you have the right to be housed in facilities appropriate to your age;
  • you cannot be expelled;
  • you have the right to be housed with your parents, siblings who are not married or an adult legally responsible;
  • you are entitled to have a guardian who will help you while you are in Italy (in particular in the procedure of international protection);
  • you have the right to search for your family. All the information you need to find them will remain confidential. Remember that according to the Dublin regulation 3, if you have a family member or relative in another European country, you are entitled to reconnect with them.
  • you have the right to attend public schools;
  • to verify your age you can be subject to the esame del polso only if you give your consent. If you refuse, you do not lose the right to submit an application for international protection and to remain within the facility where you are located.

You have the right to special measures of help if you are a minor, an unaccompanied minor, a disabled person, a senior, a pregnant woman, a parent alone with a minor, a victim of trafficking or torture, a person with a serious illness or mental disorders.

  • Pregnant women and those who have given birth less than six months cannot be expelled and are entitled to a residence permit;
  •  For victims of trafficking there is a specific path of acceptance and protection in specialised facilities;
  • Patients  with a physical or psychological conditionare entitled to a special reception system which provides specific help;
  •  Torture victims are entitled to assistance and appropriate medical and psychological care.

Contacts for minors:

- Terre des Hommes Via M. M. Boiardo 6, Milano  phone 02 28970418 email: info@tdhitaly.org  

- Save the Children Via Volturno, 58 Roma phone 064807001 email: info.italia@savethechildren.org

- Blog in Italian language that takes care of unaccompanied children, with various information and rules on minor refugees in Italy: http://minoristranierinonaccompagnati.blogspot.com/

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