Janizzi said that after enquiring about the government’s efforts to protect unaccompanied migrant children in the transit zones, the committee had been told that 14-18 year-olds are assured legal assistance and are continuously helped by social workers.

They are given three meals a day, have access to medical care, are given clothes, receive education and are ensured the freedom to practise their religions. He said the Lanzarote Committee had been concerned about the situation in Hungary’s transit zones because it had been told that unaccompanied minors aged 14-18 were being counted as adults and treated accordingly.

The committee acknowledges Hungarian efforts in recent years, but is concerned that migrant minors, who are in a difficult situation to begin with, could fall prey to sexual exploitation in the transit zones, he added.

The committee will compile a report on its findings which it will later publish, Janizzi said. The Lanzarote Committee oversees compliance with the Lanzarote Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.