Contested and unheard voices within the asylum framework–participation challenges of unaccompanied minors in Germany and Norway

Abstract

The construction of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UMAs) as a vulnerable group places UMAs into a social category that the welfare state is required to deal with. In general, welfare states have the choice of addressing UMAs’ needs, either under the scope of the asylum system combined with special provisions, or to place them on a separate track and thus exclude them from ordinary migration framework. This article takes a comparative analysis of the Norwegian (migration track) and German (separate track) asylum and welfare system on how the regulations available for UMAs intersect and how these procedures shape the lived experiences of UMAs and their options for participation in their decisions on their asylum cases, as well as in their everyday lives. When discussing three characteristics of UMA status (their position as protection seeker, as under age, as unaccompanied), we will especially focus on participation rights in how regulations regarding the age assessment, asylum procedure, residence status, legal representation and welfare provisions are applied in practice. To this end, we will highlight experiences of UMA gathered through interviews in Norway and Germany.

Contested and unheard voices within the asylum framework–participation challenges of unaccompanied minors in Germany and Norway