Stranded Between Borders uncovers the systemic obstacles that prevent unaccompanied refugee children in Europe from reuniting with their families.
Drawing on hundreds of pages of freedom-of-information requests, field reporting in Greece, Italy and the UK, and interviews with lawyers, officials and affected minors, the project exposes how bureaucratic delays, bottlenecks around legal guardians and inconsistent interpretations of EU law regularly trap children in limbo for months or years.
Published by Solomon (Greece) and Vita (Italy), the investigation reveals a broken European framework that leaves some of the most vulnerable young people stranded between borders, and offers a comprehensive account of how family reunification fails in practice.
Key Findings
- A fragmented system: Despite being governed by a single EU law, reunification procedures vary widely between member states.
- Legal guardianship bottleneck: In Greece and Italy, children often have to wait months for a legal guardian before they can apply for reunification.
- Political barriers: Some states, including the UK post-Brexit, have quietly narrowed acceptance of family cases.
- Human cost: Children remain stuck in shelters or camps long after their right to reunification has been confirmed.
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