Minors
Minors in Croatia
Since there are a lot of unaccompanied minors traveling by themselves and are at the risk of experiencing violent push backs, here is some necessary information they should keep in mind once they arrive in Croatia and apply for international protection. The Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth, and Social Policy appoints guardians to the unaccompanied minors who are usually employees of the Social care centers.
There are two appointed institutions for unaccompanied minors to stay, one in Zagreb and the other one in Split. Due to a large number of unaccompanied children, and the lack of space, some minors live in Sisak. Minors can also remain in foster families. According to the current information, minors often face the issue of the lack of interpreters, which disables their communication with the Social Care Centres.
Information from 2014
Unaccompanied minors asylum seekers, single women, and families are accommodated in the open reception center for asylum seekers in Kutina, 80km east from Zagreb. They are appointed a legal guardian by the Center for Social Care ( CZSS – Centar za Socialnu Skrb ), to accompany them in the official procedures.
Unaccompanied minors who do not seek asylum are accommodated in the Dom za odgoj djece i mladih in Dugave. This is an institution also for Croatian youth with behavior problems and it is inadequate for migrants.