The representation of human rights in Italy in Unaccompanied Foreign Minors who are resident in Italy

The Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (UFMs) show that the developmental rights still strongly disclaimed, in a severely disadvantaged population that requires the attention of the operators, society and institutions on the possible ways of protection and support that must be activated and guaranteed. This paper presents the results of an action research concerning the representations of human rights of a sample of UFMs accepted in residential care centres in Emilia-Romagna. The theoretical background frames the rights as a set of principles with an essential adjustment function of the human relationships, identities and limits of the individual existence among freedom, autonomy and liability in response to the basic human needs. Objectives and methods: The aim is to explore the knowledge and the representation of perceived and experienced human rights in UFMs, in relation to their current way of life, to the re-elaboration of their experiences and to the relational/institutional experiences related to the past in the original country and to the present in our country. The research was conducted through the focus group methodology, involving 4 groups of UFMs for 2 meetings each. The meetings, lasting about 2 h each, to run in a non-directive way, has been made in the respective hosting residential care centres. The content analysis outlines an articulated profile of positions about the representation of human rights. Among the most significant emerging categories are those that anchor the representation of right on the one hand to the temporal perspective, to the investment of these adolescent on their future in terms of duties and opportunities, on the other hand on issues of identity, social comparison, ethnic prejudice and discrimination in relation to the social inclusion.