148 Jelena Mazaj 1 , Ruta Grigaliunaite 2 Child Agency and Integration of Unac- companied Minors in Sicily Abstract: The paper presents a normative framework concerning unaccompanied minors (UAMs) in Italy, as well as best practices and reveals the findings of the Horizon 2020 MiCREATE project’s research, carried out in Sicily from September 2020 until April 2021. The aim of the research was to better understand (1) the legal and social framework of the established reception system in Italy in order to to protect and support unaccompanied minors and (2) their perception of this system, as the final beneficiaries The research revealed that even if the Italian legislation generally address the rights of the unaccompanied minors and provides a comprehensive framework for protecting UAMs, several protec- tion gaps exist. For example, the Italian guardianship model is reliant on volunteers and suffers significant bureaucratic delays; accommodation for unaccompanied minors is poorly managed through private contracting arrangements that show evidence of corruption and children, after being wrongly assessed to be over 18 years old, often become homeless. Keywords: reception system, integration, unaccompanied minors, Sicily 1 Jelena Mazaj, PhD is head at Higher Education and Research Unit of CESIE. Email: ruta.grigaliunaite@cesie.org 2 Ruta Grigaliunaite is a researcher and project manager at CESIE. Email: jelena.mazaj@cesie.org Monitor ISH (2022), XXIV/1, 148–169 Izvirni znanstveni članek Original scientific article 149 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily Agencija za otroke in integracija mladoletnikov brez spremstva na Siciliji Izvleček: Članek predstavlja normativni okvir in dobre prakse postopanja z mladoletnimi migranti brez spremstva v Italiji ter opisuje izsledke raziskave projekta Obzorje 2020 MiCREATE, ki je potekala na Siciliji od septembra 2020 do aprila 2021. Cilj raziskave je bil razumeti (1) pravni in družbeni okvir sistema za zaščito ter podporo mladoletnikom brez spremstva in (2) njihovo doživljanje tega sistema z vidika končnih uporabnikov storitev. Raziskava je razkrila, da kljub temu da italijanska zakonodaja na splošno priznava pravice mladoletnih migrantov brez spremstva in zagotavlja celovit okvir za njihovo zaščito, v tej zaščiti obstaja več vrzeli. Posebno problematično je dejstvo, da je italijanski model skrbništva odvisen od prostovoljcev in se sooča z znatnimi birokrat- skimi zamudami, da je nastanitev za mladoletnike brez spremstva upravljana prek zasebnih pogodbenih dogovorov, ki so izpostavljeni korupciji, da so otroci, za katere se domneva, da so starejši od 18 let, pogosto izpostavljeni brezdomstvu, in tako naprej. Ključne besede: sprejemni sistem, integracija, mladoletniki brez spremstva, Sicilija 150 Jelena Mazaj, Ruta Grigaliunaite Introduction Italy has remained one of the main reception countries for un- accompanied minors (UAMs) in Europe, receiving minors both from the Mediterranean route and the Balkan one. In Sicily, ac- cording to the monitoring report on UAMs in Italy (as of June 2019) and data retrieved from the General Directorate of Immi- gration and Integration Policy under the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, 4,758 UAMs were hosted, which accounts for 42 per cent of the total UAMs in Italy. The reasons for fleeing their home countries are often recurrent: the search for better living conditions for one’s future and personal security, escape from conflict, persecution, extreme poverty and hunger (Ambrosetti and Paparusso 2018, 151-171). The absence of adult references in many cases produces serious consequences linked to the fate of the child as they risk becoming victims of violence, abuse, ex- ploitation and mistreatment, as well as entering the prostitution business among others. Reception system of the UAMs in Italy is characterised by a normative framework that, in its continuous evolutions, has been particularly advanced and protective of minors that arrive in It- aly unaccompanied by adult caregivers. In addition, there have been different examples of separate initiatives, mainly run by the non-governmental organisations, to support migrant children in transition. Despite the advanced normative framework and dif- ferent laws in favour of protection and support to UAMs, they are sporadic and not consistently coordinated at the national level. Despite good practices, there are still several integration chal- lenges and different gaps between the policy and practice in the protection of UAMs in Italy, which also encourage secondary mi- gration of UAMs. 151 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily This article presents findings linked to the current situation of the UAMs in Italy, which were collected based on desk-based research, participant observation and interviews with minors and professionals in Sicilian reception centres. Normative Framework Concerning Unaccompanied Minors The protection of unaccompanied minors in Italy mainly de- rives from the transposition of the International and European standards and Regulations, while taking into account national rules and a number of laws that address the rights of unaccompa - nied minors: from the so-called Martelli Law n. 39 of 1990 to the Bossi-Fini Law n. 189 of 2002 regarding immigration and asylum. In March 2017, Italy became the first European country to leg- islate a comprehensive framework concerning the protection and treatment of unaccompanied minors, focusing on the best inter - ests of the child– with the ‘Provisions on protective measures for unaccompanied foreign minors’, often referred to as the Zampa Law n. 47 of 2017. This law establishes a protection system and safeguarding of UAMs in an articulation of competences between the central and peripheral administration, seeking to ensure great- er uniformity in the application of the provisions throughout the territory of Italy. This legislation defines an unaccompanied for - eign minor thusly: ‘an unaccompanied foreign minor present in the territory of the State means a minor who does not have Italian or European Union citizenship and who is located, for any reason, in the territory of the State or who is otherwise subject to Italian jurisdiction, without assistance and representation from parents or other adults legally responsible for him or her according to the laws in force in the Italian legal system’ (Zampa Law 2017, Article 2). From a legal perspective, foreign minors hold the same rights 152 Jelena Mazaj, Ruta Grigaliunaite and are entitled to receive the same treatment as national Italian minors. Indeed, they are protected primarily as minors without any form of legal guardianship, and only later, if they have applied for protection, as beneficiaries of international protection. The mentioned Zampa Law (2017) recognises these minors as vul- nerable subjects with rights. They can directly apply for a residence permit at their local police station, even without the appointment of a legal guardian. The ‘right to be listened’ is also established for unaccompanied foreign minors in the administrative and judicial proceedings that concern them, while the right to legal assistance is guaranteed and comes at the expense of the State (idem.). The Law consolidates the principle according to which the setting up of recep- tion services includes services specifically targeted to the require- ments of minors: specialised centres for rescue and protection with trained personnel and respective of the standards established by the Decree of the Minister of the Interior (Zampa Law 2017, Article 12). This Law also reshapes the identification procedure for minors in a harmonised manner throughout the territory of Italy: this is the fundamental step for the assessment of age, on which in turn depends the possibility of applying protection measures for mi- nors (Zampa Law 2017, Article 5). In addition, local authorities have the task of raising awareness and training the carers who are able to accommodate unaccompa - nied minors. In fact, the law favours the placement of the minor within households (including an active search for family members of the minor within the Italian territory) rather than placing them in a host community. Each Juvenile Court has a list of voluntary guardians available to assist one or more unaccompanied foreign minors (Zampa Law 2017, Article 11). With regard to long-term as- sistance measures, the rule reiterates the possibility of requesting the minor to be assigned to social services up to the age of 21 years 153 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily old for those minors who have embarked on a path of integration, but who require prolonged assistance and support when they reach the age of majority (Zampa Law 2017, Article 13). Within the process of integration, UAMs are registered in the national healthcare system and have the right to access preventive treatments (e.g., vaccinations). Once a guardian (a person whose duty is the support of the minor throughout the path of inclusion in the host community, including bureaucratic proceedings) is iden- tified, the State guarantees the right to education. The host com- munity or the foster family will be involved in finding a school and proceed with the enrolment process, including language courses. This is crucial, as a sufficient level of Italian is necessary in order to renew their permits of stay, take up an employment and feel like a part of the host society. However, scholars note that, despite the increase of interest regarding educational programmes for for - eigners, far too little attention is paid to educational programs spe- cifically addressed to unaccompanied minors in school settings (Augelli, Lombi and Triani 2018, 144-158). Overall, the Italian normative framework concerning UAMs ful- ly incorporates International and European standards, is compre- hensive and includes innovative points to better support unaccom- panied minors in Italy. Italian Good Practices in the Field of Reception and Integration of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors In regards to the social framework in Italy supporting migrant children in transition, there is also a series of good practices in favour of the reception and integration of unaccompanied foreign minors alongside the normative framework. The best practices presented in this section demonstrate the willingness and motivation of different entities (strongly promoted by the non-governmental field) to foster 154 Jelena Mazaj, Ruta Grigaliunaite processes of integration of unaccompanied minors, the social cohe- sion, the protection of their rights, and the path towards independ- ence. Some of them are presented below and underline that there is a wide range of different initiatives linked to the development of social and professional skills, integration practices or other issues. The Ciclofficina project 3 (literally meaning bike workshop), pro- moted by the Municipality of Udine and the Association ‘Nuovi Cittadini Onlus’, started in 2015, is a space equipped for the or - dinary maintenance of bicycles, with services open to all citizens in the community. It has allowed UAMs to acquire basic skills in bicycle mechanics as well as skills related to broader topics, such as sustainability and road safety. Notably, there is the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) and the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), with a time frame of three years, for ‘The dissemination, practice and implementation of sporting activities for foreign minors hosted in the national recep- tion system’: it is aimed at promoting the social inclusion of UAMs through sport. Its purpose is the local dissemination of sports ac- tivities by asking municipal governments and sports clubs to in- volve UAMs (Accorinti 2014, 128). In the field of education, on the 11 th of December 2017 the Minister of Education, University and Research and the Om- budsman for children and adolescents have signed the guide- lines for the right to education of students who live out of their family of origin, 4 in order to guarantee ‘equal education oppor - 3 More information is available at: http:/ /www.euroformrfs.it/wp-content/ uploads/2020/02/Report-_-Buone-pratiche-di-volontariato-FAMI-Mi- lano-_IntroFloro-1.pdf 4 More information is available at: https:/ /www.garanteinfanzia.org/ sites/ default/files/Protocollo%20Intesa%20Garante%20infanzia_Miur.pdf 155 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily tunities for minors’. The guidelines include concrete indications and suggestions, at all levels, from the governance among dif- ferent institutions to the classrooms. Both parties commit to the promotion of initiatives aimed at the protection of minors and, above all, the guarantee of the right to education and well-be- ing of unaccompanied minors, minors outside families and mi- nors belonging to ethnic minorities (Rom, Sinti and Caminan- ti). The agreement promotes the training of actors involved in children’s education and the dissemination at school of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Specific for Sicily, another good practice worth mentioning is the Protocol of Palermo. 5 It is an agreement between the Mu- nicipality of Palermo and Palermo Civil Court, Juvenile Court, Prosecutor’s Office at the Juvenile Court, Police Headquarters, University of Palermo, Provincial Health Department, Sicilian Regional School Office and the Ombudsman for children and adolescents aimed at protecting vulnerable categories, in par - ticular unaccompanied foreign minors through the establish- ment of individualised projects of guidance, the institution of a system of volunteer guardians, the institution of a technical table in order to individuate and to solve issues linked to the identification of the minor and the ascertainment of the minor’s age. It has been signed also in other municipalities, such as Na - ples, Bari and Cagliari. Particularly important is to mention the role of voluntary guard- ians, introduced by the Zampa Law (2017, Article 11). These are pri- vate citizens, appointed by the Juvenile Court, who not only have the legal representation of the minor in all the procedures that con- 5 More information is available at: https://www.comune.palermo.it/js/ server/uploads/_30012017104927.pdf 156 Jelena Mazaj, Ruta Grigaliunaite cern them, but are also adult figures of reference, attentive to the relationship with the child, who must promote their best interests. A Protocol Agreement has been signed between the Family Court of Catania and the Ombudsman for children and adolescents of the Region of Sicily 6 , for the establishment of the voluntary guardian list, the selection, the training and continuous competence devel- opment of such guardians, the establishment of a reference space for the voluntary guardians in order to support the coordination and territorial synergies. In Palermo, in support of the volunteer guardians in their new role, a monitoring and support system has been established. This system provides guidance and advice to the volunteers on how to protect and support children as they move towards social inclusion and make the transition to adulthood. Among NGOs best practices, the project ‘Ragazzi Harraga’ (1 st and 2 nd editions) 7 – Social Inclusion Processes for unaccom- panied minors in the City of Palermo is worthy of mention. The project, coordinated by CIAI (tr. Centro Italiano Aiuti all’Infan- zia Onlus) in partnership with the Municipality of Palermo and other local associations and NGOs, is aimed at improving the re- ception system of unaccompanied minors by promoting models ensuring the protection of children’s rights in Italy. It promoted models supporting social inclusion, which took into account the potential, the interests and the expectations of unaccompanied minors in order to facilitate an autonomous and responsible pas- sage to adulthood by involving the Region of Sicily. The project proposed a social inclusion model, which took into account inter - ests and perspectives of minors who are alone in Sicily. The inter - 6 More information is available at: https://www.cespi.it/sites/default/ files/osservatori/allegati/approf._2_-_tutori_volontari_per_minori_stra - nieri_non_accompagnati_def.pdf 7 More information is available at: https:/ /ciai.it/progetto/harraga-2/ 157 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily vention was based on three dimensions: 1) the social dimension, through the creation of a platform with social folders for each minor featuring all the information concerning their identities, the reception procedures, the inclusion strategies and the hard, soft and transversal skills they have developed; 2) the profession- al dimension, through the development of an active policy for la - bour market integration; 3) the housing dimension, by setting up temporary and affordable housing solutions featuring low-cost accommodation for unaccompanied minors in tourist hostels. As a matter of fact, the project (1 st edition) has facilitated the job placement of many of the minors involved through the activation of 30 curricular three-month internships with a grant of 300 Eu- ros, and 50 curricular one-month internships. Taking this success into consideration, the representatives of the third sector, in col- laboration with other local actors, created a follow-up ‘Ragazzi Harraga 2’ 8 , which continued the journey of ‘Ragazzi Harraga’ (2017-2019) aimed at consolidating and evolving best practices in the reception of migrant minors according to what has now become the “Harraga Model”, a system of innovative pathways to autonomy that embraces social inclusion, training, guidance and job placement for lone migrant minors in the delicate transition to majority. It is important to underline the fact that in the Sicilian case, the best practices are developed in strong collaboration with the third sector. All these good practices are aimed at finding solutions for gaps and difficulties in the existing reception system of minors. 8 More information is available at: https://sostienici.ciai.it/prodotto/rag- azzi-harraga-2/. 158 Jelena Mazaj, Ruta Grigaliunaite Protection Gaps and Difficulties in the Italian Reception System Due to the complexity of the situation “that does not take into account the minors’ needs and vulnerability – the boys’ subjectivi- ty shows their desire to question the constraints and the labelling that consign them to an existence of extreme suffering and mar - ginality” ( Sanò 2017), there are, unfortunately, several protection gaps in Italy, which do not permit UAMs to benefit fully from their rights and encourage, among other trends, secondary migration. Young people often transit through Italy to the UK and France due to the lack of support and long bureaucratic procedures, lan- guage factors and desire to be reunited with family members. Jennifer Allsopp in the Research Brief on Unaccompanied mi- nors states that Dublin III procedures are not working effectively and children, who should be able to access legal transfers from Italy to the UK or France, often do not have this opportunity and turn to smugglers instead (Allsopp 2017, 3). According to her 2017 research brief, which at the time of the research stated that ‘as few as 20 reunions of unaccompanied children from Italy with their family members elsewhere in Europe have been completed […], despite it being likely that several thousand children are eli- gible’ (ibid.). Hundreds of unaccompanied children who enter Europe in the South spend months in inadequate facilities and are lacking prop- er protection. The standards of the reception and hosting facilities are often poor and many UAMs prefer to escape or to continue their journey to Northern Europe. In such cases, they become ‘in- visible’ and exposed to a variety of risks. The research, conducted by Catarci and Rocchi provides a following testimony by one of the Egyptian UAMs who described his experience in the reception centre in Sicily, from which he escaped earlier: 159 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily […] then I go to another centre close to Syracuse. I stayed there for one year. First the fingerprints. In Sicily. Nothing. No Speak- ing. Not doing anything. Only eating and sleeping. There is nothing, no school. One year. Sleeping, eating, playing. One year like that. Afterwards, I took all my clothes and ran away with my friends. Social workers are not all good. 10% good. Small. Sicily is not good. Important to speak Italian and no school to attend. Food is not good. […] No clothes. Ugly room, not cleaning. (Catar - ci and Rocchi 2017, 117) A prolonged stay in these reception centres has extremely nega - tive consequences on minors, mainly because services aimed at so- cial inclusion and at the autonomy of minors, such as training and work placement paths and legal support activities, are not provided. Moreover, these centres have large dimensions, which do not allow the operators to follow the children in an individualised way or to create that family environment to which all the children, according to the Italian law, are entitled. Furthermore, the situation of minors hosted in structures of first and second reception centres is prob- lematic, since they are located far from urban centres, isolated and with little access to services. The number of operators employed in the centres is often lower than the minimum standards. In many cas- es, they have neither the qualification required by the current leg- islation, nor sufficient skills and experience. Many structures lack cultural mediators, with the consequences being that the operators are not able to communicate adequately with the children (Catarci and Rocchi 2017, 123). Another problem is the Municipalities’ delay in payments, whereby the reception centres often receive the funds with delays of more than a year and therefore they face serious diffi- culties in covering the costs related to the functioning of the centre. Partly due to delays in payment and due to the decrease in arriv - 160 Jelena Mazaj, Ruta Grigaliunaite als in 2018, many reception centres have been forced to close: some minors have been transferred over and over again from one centre to another, increasingly raising their level of stress. As it has been stressed, in many cases the failure to comply with the standards set by the law is hardly verified and sanctioned by the competent in- stitutions. In fact, both Municipalities and Prefectures often do not ensure appropriate monitoring of the centres. As anticipated, the MiCREATE results show that a significant number of UAMs suffer from acculturative stress that originates from attempts to integrate the differences between the culture of origin and the dominant culture and is often accompanied by a number of stressful psychosocial experiences. Research on UAMs and acculturation stress (Rania et al. 2014, 302-307) provides a number of statements by UAMs of different origins who describe their feelings during and after migration: ‘Being alone without knowing anyone’. (N., Senegalese, 18 years old) ‘Just get used to being alone’. (X., Albanian, 20 years old) ‘This was the first time that I remained without my family’. (E., Egyptian, 20 years old) ‘No, I do not think that here is like Albania, because there are so many things. I miss my family’. (M., Albanian, 19 years old) Furthermore, a number of these UAMs also need to urgently find any kind of employment in order to send money home or pay off the debt for their journey to Europe. Therefore, they tend to ac- cept illegal, dangerous and underpaid jobs, and often become the victims of sexual exploitation, forced labour, prostitution, and are forced to perform illegal jobs (Ferrara et al. 2016, 322). Catarci and Rocchi’s research showed that there is a noticeable difference between young migrants who have turned 18 years old and those who are still under 18 years old. The minors under 18 161 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily years old seemed more enthusiastic and didn’t think much about what was waiting for them outside of the protection system. Those who already turned 18 years old were worried about their future and the uncertain conditions, without any help or protection (Catarci and Rocchi 2017, 122). However, it is evident that experiences of UAMs in Italy de- pend on the type and location of reception centres. Research on health challenges in reception centres showed that most of the interviewed UAMs had lived in multiple types of accommodation facilities in remote villages and towns and hence had very little possibility to access any activities that would improve their inte- gration. However, those who live in ‘multiple occupancy rooms’ in big cities like Catania described them as ‘good enough’ and stated that there they had opportunities to attend language les- sons and different training (Blitz 2017, 12). Other research shows that UAMs in different reception centres voiced complaints about inadequate, minimal and sometimes rotten food, inadequate hy - giene supplies, poor health care access, minimal clothing and mistreatment by the workers. Furthermore, there is the existence of an informal communications network where information is ex- changed and is much more effective than the institutional chan- nels; the minors have ‘their personal knowledge’ about reception centres ( Sanò 2017, 130-132). Therefore, different authors state that some of the notable chal- lenges, mentioned by many minors, are: loneliness, difficulties with learning the language, inability to find a job due to being mi- nors, the inability to undergo any educational or employment pro- gramme due to the fact that many centres are located in remote rural areas, inadequate, minimal and sometimes rotten food, inade- quate hygiene supplies, poor health care access, minimal clothing and mistreatment by the workers. 162 Jelena Mazaj, Ruta Grigaliunaite Reception Facilities in Sicily: The Insights of the MiCREATE Project The field research started in September 2020, and in its first phase the research team (composed of a researcher and intercultural me- diator) mainly focused on contacting agencies and institutions who should respond to UAMs’ needs. With selected 44 reception centres in the South, West and central Sicily (Naro, Marsala, Mazzarino) the research team organised an introductory meeting in each of the cen- tres aimed at presenting the research to social workers and UAMs. However, the team was forced to suspend the activities so as to com- ply with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) containment measures applied at the local and national level, which strongly restricted mo- bility, making travelling from one destination to another practical- ly impossible. Access to reception facilities was forbidden so as to prevent contamination, so the research team resumed activities with online meetings through relevant online platforms. Following the MiCREATE methodology, 9 with the focus on the best interest of the child and a child-centred approach, interviews were conducted with social workers working in the reception cen- tres (12 online interviews) and migrant boys (33 interviews) in March and April 2021. These interviews were organised to collect information and testimonies about the specific life experiences faced by migrant children in transition in Sicily, including their current situation, understanding of well-being (what they consider important in their current condition), their perceptions, their val- ues, their attitudes and opinions regarding the different aspects of their life in transition: legal residence, education and social protec- tion. The key findings of the research are presented below: 9 More information about the methodology is available at: https://www. micreate.eu/index.php/about-common/ 163 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily In general, all research participants had a positive opinion about their experience in the reception centres. They said they are happy about the place they live in. However, if we closely analysed their answers, we noticed their satisfaction is connected to their past experiences and comparisons to Libyan detention camps or poor family houses. This sense of well-being shouldn’t be compared to their previous circumstances. Research results show that the majority of UAMs are not aware of the institutions responsible to guarantee their well-being. Interview respondents (29) do not have any idea of what lawyers do, only 6 of them said they had talked to a lawyer who explained and informed them about the procedure they should follow and provided them with basic information. Only 4 out of 29 children can count on a “real” guardian, who is not the mayor or the centre manager, as they have spent more time in the reception system and are aware of the role of guardians. Just a few of them have visited some medical in- stitutions, but have never met a social worker or other institutional professionals. The centres are left alone managing the UAMs path. UAMs live their lives inside the centre, their relationships are with those from among their travel mates and their room-mates. They create an atypical relationship with professionals; on the one hand, it is similar to a parent-child relationship, especially with fe- male social workers (who are often called mothers). On the other hand, it is characterised by several expectations towards the com- munity manager, the only person who is in charge of all the things concerning UAMs (providing information about legal issues, pocket money, education and training, moral support) and has a pivotal role. This kind of relationship, even though it is strong from a human point of view, is dysfunctional and inefficient regarding any legal aspects. UAMs are not aware of the procedures they need to deal with, as the manager does it all. 164 Jelena Mazaj, Ruta Grigaliunaite Respondents said they were often surprised and they wondered about bureaucratic processes. I don’t know how long I am supposed to stay here. I want to study and have my documents so that I can work to help my family. I don’t know what to do, because I don’t have any information about the procedure. They keep telling me that I need to wait… what am I waiting for? The lawyer keeps telling me ‘wait and see…wait and see’… Another clear aspect resulting from interviews is the lack of in- tegration with the local community, as well as of integration sup- port services; as one of the UAMs pointed out “I am not happy because I don’t do anything, I don’t work out, I don’t play football. I have always been playing football since I lived in Guinea, I do nothing here”. In addition, a series of obstacles that prevent children from ob- taining a residence permit have been highlighted by the research participants. In some police stations, filing an asylum application takes a lot of time and some Police Headquarters do not issue per - mits for minors when the minor has no passport, and this is the case for the majority of UAMs arriving in Italy. As a result, children of- ten remain for months without any residence permit, which makes it very difficult for them to enrol in the National Health Service and to begin any social inclusion programme such as attending voca - tional training courses or internships. Research participants noted that it is also very stressful from a psychological point of view. In the most isolated centres, the right to education is not grant- ed even if at least 30% of respondents said they are willing to finish middle school. However, the situation appears critical when think- ing about their future learning path since the municipalities where the centres are located do not have any vocational centre migrant 165 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily children would like to attend, therefore they are forced to register to courses they are not interested in and which make the time they spend in the centre even more complicated and frustrating. Most of the research participants describe their overall expe- rience of reception as ‘eating and sleeping’ – many of them are hosted in the centres, located in remote areas, where they cannot undergo any educational or employment programme, including Italian courses. Finally, when children hosted in the Italian reception facilities come to the age of majority, every support measure ceases. At that age, children rarely have a contract of employment and generally still have to complete their school and training path, therefore they cannot be independent. The abrupt interruption of any reception and support intervention generally interrupts the evidence of the in- clusion path undertaken. Many of these young adults end up living on the street. The problem, already present, has been worsened by the introduction of the so-called ‘Security Decree’, which deleted the humanitarian protection, hence minors turning 18 years old without humanitarian protection will be condemned to social exclusion. Conclusions and Limitations The research revealed that most of the reception centres pay attention only to the basic needs, not taking into the considera - tion the right to be heard or other participatory rights. Listening to UAMs and creating an individual learning path for each one of them is not a part of the procedures of the centres, therefore migrant children are mainly ignored and pushed to adhere to a “one size fits all” integration and inclusion programmes, which have been imposed upon them. Such a course of action facilitates the management procedures, since the personnel working in the centres are already aware of the bureaucratic and institutional ob- 166 Jelena Mazaj, Ruta Grigaliunaite stacles and issues that might emerge if all the subjects involved in the reception procedure participate in the decision-making pro- cess, therefore they prefer a standardised and simpler alternative. All in all, the best interests of the child as the first guiding principle of the protection system for minors is not taken into account very much, as expressed by the participants of the re- search. Children are barely consulted about the matters con- cerning their own life, they do suffer from social exclusion, also due to their legal status, low levels and inadequate education and employment opportunities. The field research conducted within the scope of the MiCRE - ATE project must continue research on the gaps in the applica - tion of the child-centred approach within the reception system, and provide further recommendations to support migrant chil- dren in transition. We tried to make this research as comprehensive as possible, however, it is subject to several limitations. Firstly, although the online technology supported an implementation of the interviews during the period of the pandemic, we need to state that it was also an obstacle, as face to face meeting would help in creating a more personal contact with these children and to get more specif- ic answers to the research questions. Secondly, during the inter - view they were accompanied by a social worker from the reception centre. In such cases, we think that a feeling of fear or ‘of saying something bad’ had a place in this situation. Implementing inter - views without them would provide a more detailed picture. Addi- tionally, the language barrier also brings some misunderstanding in the communication process. In particular, this research was im- plemented in collaboration with a cultural mediator. A translation from the children’s native language to Italian or back challenged every dynamic of the ongoing work. Thus, it is important to under - 167 Child Agency and Integration of Unaccompanied Minors in Sicily line the role of a mediator/researcher, who knows the child’s native language, as well as time are both essential for research activities, as there is a need to create a comfortable and trustful environment between the researcher and the child. Finally, this work concentrates on a particular Sicilian frame- work, and in the case of other local/regional conditions, future studies are needed to validate the outcomes of the present work. Acknowledgements First, we would like to thank all the children who participated in the research who, despite the difficult COVID-19 period, told us their stories and worries. We also thank our Colleagues and local stakeholders, who dedicated their time and shared their knowl- edge about the topic and insights about the actual situation on the ground, and who expressed their desire to listen to the children in order to better respond to their needs. Funding This article is a result of the activities undertaken in the frame of the project ‘Migrant Children and Communities in a Transform- ing Europe’ (MiCREATE). For more information, please visit the project website http:/ /www.micreate.eu/. 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