Temporary protection for almost 55,000 fleeing war in Ukraine

Portugal has so far granted almost 55,000 temporary protection permits to people fleeing the war in Ukraine and about a quarter have been granted to minors, the immigration and borders service, SEF, announced on Monday.

According to the latest update by SEF, since the beginning of the war on February 24, Portugal has granted 54,976 temporary protection permits to Ukrainian citizens and foreigners residing in Ukraine, 32,259 of them to women and 22,717 to men.

SEF reports that the highest number of temporary protection permits granted continues to be registered in Lisbon (11,933), Cascais (3,381), Porto (2,760), Sintra (1,856) and Albufeira (1,348).

SEF adds that requests for temporary protection were authorized for 13,796 minors, representing around 25% of the total.

SEF also reveals that it has communicated to the public prosecutor (MP) the situation of 735 Ukrainian minors who arrived in Portugal without parents or legal representatives, cases in which there is considered to be no “present or imminent danger”.

In these situations – in most cases the child arrived in Portugal with a relative – the case is communicated to the public prosecutor for the appointment of a legal representative and possible initiation of protection proceedings for the minor.

SEF also communicated to the Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People the situation of 15 minors who arrived in Portugal unaccompanied, but with someone other than parents or a proven legal representative, such cases representing “current or imminent danger”.

The request for temporary protection in Portugal can be made through the online platform created by SEF, available in three languages.

However, in the case of minors, it is compulsory to go to a SEF branch to confirm their identity and parentage.

The military offensive launched on 24 February by Russia in Ukraine has already caused the flight of more than 13 million people – over six million internally displaced persons and over 7.7 million to European countries – according to the latest figures from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).