Children with an immigrant biography "They are first and foremost children and they are a vulnerable group exposed to serious dangers and daily violations of their rights." says the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, Despo Michailidou, noting that "it is non-negotiable principle and obligation of the state, society and the individual, to avoid targeting them and confronting them as a potential threat that inevitably leads only to their social exclusion and stigmatization ".
In her public statement on the statements of the Government Spokesperson, dated 10/11/2021, after the end of a wide-ranging meeting that took place at the Presidential Palace on immigration, the Commissioner states that, "they can not remain without controversy." .
"The statements of the Government Spokesman, Marios Pelekanos, dated 10/11/2021, among others, highlighted 'as the most important that proves the urgency of the problem are the data concerning the students with immigration biographies: in pre-primary education the number of such students exceeds 30% of the total, while in primary education it amounts to 16% " the Commissioner continues.
He adds that "I recognize and can understand the concern of the community, however, we must collectively address the whole problem with due care and above all as a primarily humanitarian issue and as a claim to human rights."
Mrs. Michailidou states that "The whole structure of the Government Spokesman's speech, the use of numerical data without explanation or differentiation, has intentionally or unintentionally aggravated the anxiety of society, the feeling of insecurity, xenophobia and intolerance."
Also, "the Government Spokesman in his statements refrained from clarifying whether the numbers quoted include children who belong to the group of children with immigrant biographies or just part of it."
As the Commissioner notes, "The term children with an immigrant biography includes a wide and diverse group of children: children of which one parent is a Cypriot, children of mixed marriages, children of investors residing in Cyprus, whose parents have a residence and work permit in Cyprus, and of course children asylum seekers, refugee children, unaccompanied children, etc. "and therefore," the support of these children is required in order to ensure indiscriminately all their rights ".
He also states that "through a scientifically designed pedagogical program emphasis should be placed on their access to education, in a diversified education that will meet the needs of each child individually so that they can acquire the supplies, knowledge and skills needed for their comprehensive development and their smooth integration into society.
Concluding, the Commissioner hopes that "in the commitment of all that within the framework of the rule of law will be fully respected all the obligations arising from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child given the multicultural character that our country and the need to promote the peaceful coexistence of groups with different cultural, religious, linguistic, ethnic backgrounds, but especially for the consolidation of social peace ".
