Harmonising public guardianship laws and combating sexual exploitation in the Member States

3.3.2021

Question for written answer  E-001230/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Maite Pagazaurtundúa (Renew), María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos (Renew), Jordi Cañas (Renew)

Public child guardianship systems in the Member States suffer from serious problems, inadequate protocols and negligence.

These failings can lead to children being sexually exploited, as has happened to children placed in the care of Mallorca’s Social Affairs Institute (the Instituto Mallorquín de Asuntos Sociales – IMAS), a body accountable to the Mallorca Council (Balearic Islands, Spain). Nor is this the only case; it is something that migrant children are fairly frequently subjected to.

Protection of minors is a priority for the European Union. The Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union say so, but public child guardianship services in the EU are failing. The Commission’s third report on the fight against trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims (2020) states that Member States will alter their guardianship laws to combat trafficking.

Will it provide Member States with guidelines so national guardianship laws can be harmonised and effective action taken to combat cases such as that at IMAS, or in other similar reception centres for child migrants? Does it plan to conduct a study to analyse the measures taken by each Member State to combat sexual exploitation of minors in the public guardianship system?