6.5 Provision of information

 Member States reported changes in policy to adapt asylum and reception information to the specific needs of minors, while other vulnerable groups were typically not covered in these initiatives in 2019. For example, the CGRS in Belgium updated its guide for unaccompanied minors applying for international protection²⁴³ and published two new guides on accompanied children’s right to be heard in the asylum procedure – one catering to children²⁴⁴ and the other to their parents or guardians.²⁴⁵ In addition, the Belgian Federal Public Service Interior launched a video on unaccompanied minors in the asylum procedure.²⁴⁶

OFPRA in France updated the “Asylum Guide for Unaccompanied Minors” which was published in January 2020. The authorities in Norway launched the website, Asylbarn, dedicated specifically for children in the asylum procedure.²⁴⁷ The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA, Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers) in the Netherlands began implementing recommendations based on the results of a commissioned report²⁴⁸ by developing a comic strip for minor applicants about everyday life in a reception centre,²⁴⁹ appointing a contact person and organising swimming lessons for children. The Swedish Migration Agency developed information on the asylum procedure specifically for children aged 7 to 12 years, available through a mobile application.

To bridge the gaps, civil society organisations provided targeted information to unaccompanied minors, for example in Croatia and Italy, while UNHCR developed a leaflet for minor applicants and other information materials on international protection in Spain.²⁵⁰

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_{243 CGRS. (2019). Guide for Unaccompanied Minors Who Apply for Asylum in Belgium. https://www.cgrs.be/sites/default/files/brochures/brochure_unaccompanied-foreign-minor_2017_english_0.pdf
244 CGRS. (2019). BE_Guide for Accompanied Minors Who Apply for Asylum in Belgium. https://www.cgrs.be/sites/default/files/brochures/asiel_asile_-_minors_-_guided-foreign-minors_-_eng_1.pdf
245 CGRS. (2019). The Right to be Heard: For parents and guardians accompanied by minor children. https://www.cgrs.be/sites/default/files/brochures/asiel_asile_-_minors_-_parents-accompanied-by-minor-children_-_eng.pdf
246 Federal Public Service Interior. (2019, April 3). MENA - MNBV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8NGe_kgnxo
247 Norwegian Directorate of Immigration and Police Immigration Unit. (n.d.). Asylbarn. Retrieved 20 May 2020, from https://asylbarn.no/
248 COA, avance- and Werkgroep Kind in azc. (2018). Leefomstandigheden van  kinderen in asielzoekerscentra  en gezinslocaties: Rapportage I: Conclusies en aanbevelingen. https://www.unicef.nl/files/Kindinazc-samenvatting-onderzoek-2018.pdf
249 COA. (2019). NL_Ik woon gewoon. https://www.mycoa.nl/sites/default/files/coa_-_ik_woon_gewoon_-_nl_040219-gecomprimeerd.pdf
250 UNHCR. (2019). Podemos ayudarte: Folleto informativo sobre la protección internacional en España para menores migrantes no acompañados o separados. https://www.acnur.org/es-es/publications/folletos/5e1de9224/podemos-ayudarte-folleto-informativo-sobre-la-proteccion-internacional.html}