Kinderfreunde-Oxonitsch: Jaba should stay | Vienna Children's Friends, October 29, 2023

2023-10-29 11:30:05

The federal government is once again disregarding children’s rights in the deportation case of a 16-year-old in Vienna

Vienna (OTS) – “Once again, the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) proves that children’s rights play no role in their assessment,” says Christian Oxonitsch, SP National Council member and chairman of the Vienna Children’s Friends, angrily. He refers to the case of 16-year-old Jaba, who is to be deported to Georgia with his family. “Jaba came to Austria five years ago with leukemia, the entire family integrated in an exemplary manner during his treatment and is now supposed to leave the country again after this formative time, that is simply inhumane,” Oxonitsch continued. Classmates and teachers report perfect knowledge of German, Jaba is class representative and is active in the swimming club and chess club. Nevertheless, the application for a humanitarian right to remain was rejected. “The possibility of the humanitarian right to remain was created precisely for such cases; it is incomprehensible that the federal government now wants to strengthen its law-and-order image again at the expense of a young person,” said Oxonitsch.

Of course, this case would also bring back memories of the Tina case from 2021, when the BFA also disregarded children’s rights and deported a 13-year-old from her new home of Austria in the middle of the night. The Administrative Court has now also decided that this deportation was unlawful and the “Child Welfare Commission” under Irmgard Griss, which was specially set up by the federal government, developed 11 measures to give greater weight to the child’s best interests in such decisions, but apparently without effect. “According to reports from the family, there was no consultation with the parents or Jaba himself, which shows once again that the federal government does not care about the experts’ recommendations and is thus clearly violating the children’s rights enshrined in the constitution,” states Oxonitsch. The children’s friends stand in full solidarity at the side of all children in this country when injustice happens to them: “That’s why our message to the BFA, the Interior Minister and the entire federal government is: ALL children have rights, Jaba must stay!” Oxonitsch concluded .