Si Ali, Mimón MohamedToutouh El Alamin, JamalSegado Sánchez-Cabezudo, SagrarioGilbert, Neil2026-01-282026-01-282025-06-26Mohamed Si Ali, M.; Toutouh, J.; Segado, S.; Gilbert, N. (2025). Socioeconomic barriers and educational pathways of unaccompanied foreign minors in Europe’s southern border. International Journal of Social Welfare, 34(3), e70025. DOI: 10.1111/ijsw.700251369-6866https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.70025https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/31611This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Wiley in "International Journal of Social Welfare, 34(3) (2025), e70025", available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.70025Este es el manuscrito aceptado del artículo publicado por Wiley en "International Journal of Social Welfare, 34(3) (2025), e70025", disponible en línea: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.70025This article investigates social vulnerability, legal challenges, and migratory experiences of unaccompanied foreign minors entering Europe via Melilla, a Spanish city in northern Africa. A mixed-methods approach integrates statistical analysis and qualitative research, including natural language processing on 1274 records and 1200 in-depth interviews. The theoretical framework combines social vulnerability theory, the child-rights perspective, and migration decision-making models to clarify how structural (institutional and cultural) and individual (motivations and social networks) factors influence school attendance frequency and continuity, as well as integration in a border environment. Quantitative findings emphasize the key roles of socioeconomic status and educational modality (public vs. Quranic), revealing no significance for nationality. Qualitative evidence underscores linguistic barriers and discrimination, highlighting the necessity of enhanced psychosocial and cultural support. Given these results, the study calls for urgent reforms to child protection policies and border-control strategies, aligning measures with the principle of the child's best interests.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess6310 Problemas socialesartículoChild rightsEducationMigrationMixed methodsSocial vulnerabilityUnaccompanied foreign minors1468-2397