Paper short abstract:

The aim of the paper will be to trace the legal category of 'unaccompanied minor' in the discourses related to the crisis on Polish-Belarusian border. I would like to trace how the state of suspension works between childhood and adulthood – and what are the consequences of that situation.

Paper long abstract:

Children's stories are present in discourses that are shaped around the current crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border. They become especially engaging for the public, due to the dominant image of the child in Poland as a defenseless and not fully causative entity, for whom the obligation to take care is important - both in ethical and legal aspects, as regulations provide for several forms of special treatment of children among all asylum seekers.

A category relating to non-adult-refugees are "unaccompanied minors" - the existence of which is conditioned by the international law, and which also exists at the level of domestic law in Poland. Its purpose is to provide protection to refugees who are not considered adults in the light of the regulations. "Unaccompanied minors" are usually adolescents who function in this role between "childhood" and "adulthood". The aim of the paper will be to trace the stories (anonymized) of unaccompanied minors related to the current crisis. I will look at the discourses and the reconstruction of administrative and judicial practices applied (depending on the access to the files). I would like to trace how in their cases the state of suspension works between a "child" and a "minor foreigner", or even "foreigner" – who uses what terms and what are the consequences of their use.

I deliberately omit the perspective of the minors I describe, due to the fact that the described events are likely to be traumatic for them. Moreover, it could pose a threat to pending proceedings.