Migrações/Portugal: Crianças vivem «traumas invisíveis» provocados por separação familiar

Pope Leo XIV focused his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on the invisible traumas children experience due to family separation.

In an interview with Agência Ecclesia and Renascença, Cátia Sousa, coordinator of the Sem Diferenças project at the Centro Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem in the Diocese of Coimbra, discussed the challenges facing migrant children. The center, located in Marinha das Ondas, supports the integration of approximately 1,300 migrants. Sousa noted that children often arrive after a parent has already established residency in the area, leading to periods of separation.

The Sem Diferenças project works to create meeting points to help children and young people adapt to new environments and promote cultural dialogue. Sousa explained that while some families enroll their children in school independently, others seek the center's assistance with the process to help integrate them into the local community.