NICCY publishes report exploring the experiences of children and young people from asylum seeker and refugee backgrounds in Northern Ireland

Statement from Commissioner Chris Quinn at the launch of the report Rights Without Borders.

“Today, I am launching ‘Rights Without Borders’, a report that examines whether children and young people from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds in Northern Ireland are receiving the protection, support and opportunities that they are entitled to.

“The voices of children and young people are at the heart of this report. I want to thank them for speaking honestly about their lives, their hopes and the barriers they face. They told us about the welcome and support they have received, particularly from schools, youth workers and community and voluntary organisations. But they also described delays in accessing education and healthcare, unsuitable accommodation, poverty, racism, isolation, and the exhausting uncertainty of navigating complex systems.

“Their words must not simply be acknowledged and then filed away. Children have a right to express their views on matters affecting them and to have those views taken seriously. Listening is not a courtesy we extend to children. It is a right, and it places a responsibility on those with power to respond.

“What children have told us is deeply concerning – and I feel strongly that the rights of some of these children are being violated.

“Rights cannot exist only on paper. A right is only real when a child can experience it in their everyday life. A theoretical entitlement to education means very little to a child waiting months for a school place. A theoretical entitlement to healthcare means very little to a family unable to register with a GP or access an interpreter. A commitment to safeguarding means very little if a child is living in unsuitable accommodation, surrounded by uncertainty, or frightened by racism and hostility.

“The report finds a clear gap between policy commitments and children’s lived experiences. Too often, the support a child receives depends on where they live, which service they encounter or whether a dedicated individual or voluntary organisation steps in to help. That is not equality, and it is not an acceptable way to protect children’s rights.

“These children are not immigration cases first and children second. They are children first. They have the same inherent dignity, the same human rights and the same need for safety, stability, education, healthcare, play and belonging as every other child in NI. The report makes clear that children seeking asylum or living as refugees here are entitled to the same safeguarding and welfare protections as other children, regardless of their immigration status.

“I do not want excuses about the complexity of the immigration system; I do not want defensiveness from departments or agencies; I do not want misinformation or false narratives being used to dehumanise children and families who came here seeking safety. And I do not want responsibility passed endlessly between the UK Government, NI departments, statutory agencies and private contractors while children continue to fall through the gaps.

“NI’s Children and Young People’s Strategy promises that all children should be healthy, safe, learning and achieving; that they should experience economic wellbeing; participate positively in society; and live in a society that respects their rights and promotes equality. This report asks a simple question: are those promises being delivered for children from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds? The evidence tells us that, too often, they are not.

“In my opinion, these children are being let down. They are being let down when they wait unnecessarily for education or healthcare. They are being let down when poverty prevents them from participating in ordinary childhood activities. They are being let down when their accommodation is unsuitable or unstable. They are being let down when racist misinformation creates fear and hostility around the places in which they live. And they are being let down when they speak about these experiences but nothing changes.

“Government must now act. That means clear leadership and accountability across departments and agencies. It means timely access to school places, healthcare and appropriate mental health support. It means consistent interpretation services, safer and more suitable accommodation, stronger safeguarding arrangements and better responses to exploitation and trafficking. It means removing barriers created by poverty, transport costs and financial insecurity. It also means embedding meaningful participation so that children and young people help shape the services and decisions affecting their lives.

“It also requires political leadership to challenge racism, misinformation and those who seek to create fear and division. Every child has the right to live safely and free from discrimination. Our laws, public services and political discourse must protect that right, not undermine it.

“The children who contributed to this report are not defined by their immigration status. They are children and young people with talents, ambitions and enormous potential. They want to learn, contribute, build friendships, feel safe and create a future. They are asking for no more than the rights already promised to every child.

“Their voices are clear. The evidence is clear. The responsibilities are clear. There can now be no excuse for inaction.

“I am calling on the NI Executive, the UK Government, public authorities, and all relevant agencies to respond formally to this report and set out what they will do, who will be responsible, and how progress will be measured.

“All children have rights. The state has a duty to protect those rights. That duty does not stop at a border, and it does not depend on a child’s immigration status.

“These children have spoken. Government must now listen – and act.”