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Roundtable on “Girls in Migration” under the patronage of Véronique Mathieu (MEP), in association with Edit Bauer (MEP), Tokia SaÏfi (MEP) and Eleni Theocharous (MEP). On the left, Mamadian Diallo from Guinea, the keynote speaker and Neil Datta, Secretary of the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development. Photo©EPP |
BRUSSELS – Women’s migration is a growing phenomenon but a misunderstood one, according to UNFPA, with migrant girls being the most vulnerable.
To highlight their plight and find some solutions, a Girls’ Week – a week of events organized by NGOs and the European Parliament – was held to highlight the specific challenges and opportunities faced by girls who migrate.
As part of the week-long programme, a series of roundtables on ‘Girls in Migration’ was organized by the Group of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament (EPP), with support from the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF).
While girls increasingly migrate and will continue to do so, EU Member States and partner countries have little information and reliable data to measure the migration’s extent. Yet migrant girls are the most vulnerable to human rights abuses and require priority attention.
“There is an urgent need to gather more data and undertake more research to appropriately address girl’s specific needs in the context of migration,” said Mr. François Farah, the UNFPA Representative in Romania. He also noted that “that migration can have an empowering effect for girls, positively influencing gender equality.”
A video of the roundtable hearing can be accessed here.
