Unaccompanied Foreign Minors, the Difficult Path from Migration to Citizenship

Abstract

In Italy, the number of unaccompanied foreign minors (UFMs) is constantly and continuously increasing, and includes unaccompanied and separated minors, as well as asylum seekers, coming from different countries and for different reasons. To better understand this phenomenon, the regulations that protect UFMs, the Italian immigration system, and the fundamental rights of children will be discussed. Possible risk factors such as deviance, exploitation and trafficking, and possible intervention strategies to protect unaccompanied foreign minors will also be discussed.