France An association helps the young Romanians to rebuild their life out of the street

November 30, 2007

Comment: The specialized weekly magazine (see the website here, in French) issued a two-page article about how the French association 'Hors La Rue;, approaches young isolated Romanians in the suburb of Paris. The article indicates that the association is working with an average of 250 to 300 children per year and describes the approach of the social workers towards the foreign unaccompanied minors.

The article explains in details how the French educational or social staff do work with other organizations (such as 'Enfants Du Monde – Droits de l'Homme) within the governmental 'Versini' framework designed to take in charge and accompany isolated young migrants. Several times, the specific issue of the return back to the country of origin is mentioned, specifying that the French association does work with partners in Romania to better assess the feasibilities of return.

The articles ends with the new situation in Paris. Many young Romanians are now coming to France from other transit countries and in a wandering situation for a longer period than before. Some of them are 'controlled' by adults and involved into illegal activities (robbery, sexual exploitation). These new factors make the social approach even more difficult.