Brussels, 08/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - The fundamental rights of separated child asylum seekers are often infringed, according to the latest report by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Separated, asylum-seeking children, even though they are the responsibility of member states of the EU, often live in housing described as unsuitable, including detention centres, even if they have not committed any crimes, states the report entitled “Separated, asylum-seeking children in the European Union member states”. These children are often deprived of access to quality health care and appropriate education. Many separated asylum-seeking children do not understand the legal proceedings they have to go through and their opinions are rarely taken into account. The FRA interviewed more than 300 separated child asylum seekers and the adults responsible for their welfare in 12 member states of the European Union. “Who makes sure that separated, asylum-seeking children receive information in a language that they understand? How can we avoid children becoming victims for a second time, when they have to tell their traumatising stories over and over again to different police officials, to lawyers and to judges?”, asks Morten Kjaerum, director of the FRA. “Children are individuals in their own right, and have their own rights. Now we have to find ways of turning these rights on paper into rights in practice”, he said. (B.C./transl.fl)