The story of U.F. and the campaign to end child pushbacks at EU borders
CRIN collaborated with The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) as part of the Advancing Child Rights Strategic Litigation project to develop an animation that told the story of U.F. – a refugee child from Myanmar, who has filed complaints against Croatia and Slovenia to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
U.F.’s case is using the law to seek justice and challenge the use of pushbacks - the practice of forcing refugees and migrants back across the border, without access to legal and procedural protections. But there is a human story behind the legal action, and for legal action to have an impact beyond the individual case, it must reach beyond the courtroom.
The animation tells the story of U.F. - who was 8 years old when he fled a military attack on his village in Myanmar and became separated from his family. After years of seeking safety, he arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 2020 to 2021, he was forced to survive without medical care, sleeping rough in forests and squatting in abandoned buildings.
During this time he was pushed back five times after crossing the borders with Croatia and Slovenia to seek safety, and subjected to consistent violence. Authorities confiscated his possessions and burnt his shoes before forcing him back across the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pushbacks are illegal. National, EU and international law require Croatia and Slovenia to act in children’s best interest and prioritise the identification of children during their handling by border officers. Despite this, the practice remains common. In 2020 and 2021 alone, 13,700 people were pushed back from Slovenia.
Supported by ECCHR and Blindspots, U.F. is now bringing his case to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, arguing that both Croatia and Slovenia have violated his rights.
With this animation, we wanted to tell U.F.’s story with dignity, in a way that was respectful of his experience. We also wanted to show the reality for children who are subjected to this practice. The choice of animation was in part to respect U.F.’s anonymity, but also as a means of reaching an audience that may feel very distant from this experience and from the law.
You can find out more about U.F.’s case and campaigning to end child pushbacks here.
The litigation and this animation form part of the Advancing Child Rights Strategic Litigation project (ACRiSL). ACRiSL comes under the auspices of the Global Campus of Human Rights – Right Livelihood cooperation.