The Foundation for Access to Rights – FAR is the leading organization in the Safeguarding Unaccompanied and Separated Children’s Rights through the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (SUN), funded by the Citizens, equality, rights, and values (CERV) Program of the European Commission, which started on April 1, 2023, and will be implemented for 24 months. Partners in the project are ARSIS, Greece; Tdh, Romania; NIDOS, the Netherlands; Sirius Network (International network, based in Belgium); Volontarius, Italy and CCAR, Spain.
The SUN project aims at promoting the effective enjoyment of rights stipulated in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights by unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children.
Unaccompanied and separated migrant and refugee children (UASCs) are a highly vulnerable group, especially to rights breaches, being removed from their home and normal context, having experienced traumatic events, having gone through multiple procedures, being separated from their parents/ primary caregivers or other significant adults.
The project targets all people working with or involved in caring for unaccompanied and separated refugee children, namely: lawyers, working in the field of legal representation of unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children; guardians; civil society organisations and independent human rights bodies representatives; social workers and frontline workers dealing with refugee and migrant children in various settings; school teachers, headmasters of schools and their associations, migrant and refugee communities and their associations, parents and family members from the refugee and migrant communities in the partner countries; university students. The project foresees providing basic knowledge about the Charter guaranteed rights of unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children and how the rights are translated into the practices and everyday work with the children to frontline workers and professionals involved in caring for them. Legal experts will have access to advanced knowledge about conducting lawsuits of strategic importance to the rights of unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children.
The project partners conduct a training needs assessment and identification and analysis of good practices; are involved in a mentoring programme and a series of study exchange visits among partners to build their capacity; develop a curriculum and a training handbook for professionals and practitioners on the rights of unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children related to the EU Charter; carry out events to present the training and the Handbook to national stakeholders; conduct an international train-the-trainer event featuring trainers from the Hungarian Helsinki Committee; carry out national trainings for professionals and practitioners (in Bulgaria the project foresees trainings in Sofia and Varna). The closing activities of the project will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the beginning of 2025. They will include a seminar whose participants will be professionals and experts from the whole European Union and a closing exchange visit of the project partners.
SUN NEWSLETTER
PROJECT REPORTS
MAP OF BEST PRACTICES
The SUN team has created a map of best practices, consolidating notable initiatives related to the protection of UASC in the project countries. These
practices were identified through a national needs assessment report conducted by partners as part of the project. Recognizing the significance of this information, we have chosen to present it in the form of a map for easy accessibility by stakeholders across Europe
SUN HANDBOOK
This Handbook is developed under the project Safeguarding Unaccompanied and Separated Children’s Rights through the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (SUN), which promotes the effective enjoyment of rights stipulated in the CFREU by unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children (UASC). It reflects the years-long practical and academic experience of project partners Foundation for Access to Rights - FAR in Bulgaria (lead organization), ARSIS in Greece, Terre des Hommes in Romania, Nidos in the Netherlands, Sirius Network, based in Belgium, Volontarius in Italy, and Comissió Catalana d’Acció pel Refugi (CCAR) in Spain.
The Handbook chapters have been elaborated by the project partners as follows:
Chapter I: Basic principles in protecting the rights of UASC in the light of Article 24 of the CFREU - Terre des Hommes Foundation
Chapter II: Right to Asylum and Procedural Guarantees for UASC - Comissió Catalana d’Acció pel Refugi
Chapter III: Migrant Children in Detention and Right to Liberty - Foundation for Access to Rights - FAR
Chapter IV: EU Charter and Secondary EU Law Rights Linked to Return Procedures - Foundation for Access to Rights - FAR
Chapter V: Access to Family Life and Family Reunification - Terre des Hommes Foundation
Chapter VI: Labor Rights of Migrant Children - Volontarius
Chapter VII: Аccess to Education - Nidos
Chapter VIII: Access to Healthcare - Volontarius
Chapter IX: Access to Adequate Accommodation and Social Security – Nidos and ARSIS
Chapter X: Filing and Conducting Strategic Lawsuits Related to Violations of Rights – ARSIS
SUN PROJECT FINAL CONFERENCE AND EXCHANGE VISIT IN BULGARIA
Blog article about the SUN exchange visit in Sofia, Bulgaria on 12.03.2025
Photo album from the SUN exchange visit in Sofia, Bulgaria on 12.03.2025
Blog article about the SUN project final conference in Sofia, Bulgaria on 13.03.2025
Photo Album from the SUN final conference in Sofia, Bulgaria on 13.03.2025
The Safeguarding Unaccompanied and Separated Children’s Rights through the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights – SUN project is funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme of the European Commission. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains. Project Number: 101084990.