The Hungarian Government views all children who arrive in Hungary without their parents or other accompaniment not as immigrants, but primarily as children. Thanks to several measures introduced in recent weeks, Hungarian childcare services are fully prepared to receive and provide for foreign children who arrive in Hungary without adult accompaniment. The Hungarian childcare system is capable of handling the situation. We will provide safe homes and accommodation for all children.
Thanks to several measures introduced in recent weeks, Hungarian childcare services are fully prepared to receive and provide for foreign children who arrive in Hungary without adult accompaniment. The Government is doing everything possible to assure that minors who arrive in Hungary without adult accompaniment receive suitable care and treatment. In addition to more flexible childcare regulations, the number of places available for children within the system is being increased by several orders of magnitude during the coming weeks.
Minors who have arrived in Hungary without adult accompaniment have been placed within the childcare system, for instance at the István Károly Children’s Centre in Fót. The Directorate General for Social Services and Child Protection has expanded human resources at the Children’s Centre, has been providing supplementary pay to staff since mid-summer in view of the challenge posed by their duties, and has also supplied the required equipment, thanks to which 142 places are currently available for catering to minors without accompaniment. Additionally, up to 5400 places in other locations may also be involved to house minors in future if required, where professionals will also be on call to care for children, as is indeed currently the case.
The borders of Hungary and Europe must be protected. A responsible decision must be made regarding who we can receive and who we can’t, but following such a decision those who we do receive must be given every assistance to find a new home here in Hungary. This is especially true in the case of children, who must be provided with a school education and the opportunity to study the Hungarian language and learn about Hungarian culture. We will do everything possible to ensure that all children permanently living in Hungary receive the necessary care and treatment in accordance with their age and requirements.