Introduction or preface

The article explores the inclusion of unaccompanied migrant children reaching Italy without their parents or a legal guardian. It aims at presenting the results of a qualitative research conducted in Rome in 2016, through semi-structured interviews. The research shows the difficult conditions of such children, arriving to Italy through a perilous and traumatic journey despite their young age. The Italian reception system for unaccompanied migrant children still largely focuses on material needs, while paying little attention to the educational, social and economic needs. Particularly, the quest to send money to their families in the country of origin makes access to education difficult and leads often the children to work irregularly, thus being exploited. Furthermore, the current Italian legal system is not adequate to defend the rights and to support the integration of this particular category of migrants, especially in their transition into adulthood.