Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces European asylum law. Beginning with the cornerstone 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the book outlines the international legal regime governing asylum seekers and refugees. It discusses the relationship between the rights of the child and European Union (EU) law. The book evaluates Common European Asylum System (CEAS) a creature, principally, of EU law in the light of the rights of the child, which presupposes that there is some obligation for EU law to conform to international child-rights law. It outlines the right of the child to be heard, a general principle of the Convention on the Rights of the Child that has significant implications for the asylum procedure. The book concerns certain socio-economic rights of the child, namely, the right of the child to health and to an adequate standard of living.