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Migrant Children: Understanding Experiences and Supporting Policies

This research project explores the migratory experiences of migrant children, including victims of trafficking, in Europe and aims to improve policy, practice, and support for these vulnerable children.

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Migrant Children: Understanding Experiences and Supporting Policies

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  1. Migrant Children are Children Too: The Status of the World’s Refugee Children (An AFRUCA Desk Research Project) Debbie Ariyo OBE CEO AFRUCA ISPCAN Countries in Transition Forum The Hague 30 September 2017

  2. Quotes By Young People I see AFRUCA as a place I can come and speak, express my feelings without feeling judged… It wasn’t my fault, so I now see things in a different perspective without bringing my self down… I am building my self esteem and confidence… AFRUCA is with me each step so I take one step at a time….

  3. Why This Research? • Need to Better Understand the migratory experiences of AFRUCA users – victims of trafficking and other migrant children, especially in Europe. • What do children really experience when crossing borders? • How can we improve policy and practice, better advocate and support migrant children

  4. Research Focus Forced Migration as movement of refugees and internally displaced persons from one area to another. Scope • Internally displaced children • Children on the move crossing international borders • Children in Receiving/Destination Countries • Europe and Child Refugees

  5. Refugee Situation: Key Statistics and Trends • Number of people forced to flee their homes – over 65 million. 22.2 million are refugees – half are children under 18 years. (UNHCR) • 10 million stateless individuals – denied a nationality and access to basic rights • Highest figures since records began before World War 2 • 35% of refugees are in Africa • Syria has the highest number of refugees in the world today (5.5m) • 55% of the world’s refugees today come from three countries – Syria (5.5m), South Sudan (1.4m) and Afghanistan (2.5m) • Most of the world’s refugees are hosted by 1. Africa – 30%, 2. Middle-East and North Africa – 26%, 3. Europe – 17% • Highest refugee hosting countries – Turkey (2.9m), Pakistan (1.4m), Uganda (1.25m). No European country appears in the top 6 hosting countries. • Bidi-bidi refugee camp in Uganda is the largest in the world. Uganda hosts 1.25 million refugees most from South Sudan and Congo • Congo and Nigeria have the world’s highest number of IDPs – over 2 million people each due to insurgency, conflict and disasters (IDMC) • Zaatari camp in Jordan is the second largest after Bidi-bidi. 88,000 Syrian refugees live there.

  6. Countries of Focus Internally displaced Children - Anti BokoHaram Camps in North East Nigeria Children Crossing Borders • BidiBidi Camp in Uganda • Zaatari Camp in Jordan • Panian Camp in Pakistan Receiving Countries in Europe • UK • Greece • Turkey

  7. Reasons for Internal Migration • Conflict (South Sudan, Burundi, Afghanistan, Syria • Terrorism (Nigeria, Mali) • Environmental Disaster (Flooding and Hurricane (Sierra Leone, Haiti, Caribbean) • Environmental Disaster (Drought) Ethiopia

  8. Migratory Patterns: Internally Displaced Migratory Patterns may differ: Conflict: Immediate or delayed migration Disasters: Immediate migration based on urgent needs (food, water)

  9. Children’s Experiences of IDP Camps Focus on Nigeria Resources going in, outputs are weak, outcomes for children are poor: • Inefficiency, lack of co-ordination and corruption • Abject poverty among displaced families • Lack of care for children (malnutrition, starvation) • Lack of education and health provisions (diseases, infections) • Safety and protection limited (trafficking, sexual abuse and child marriage, radicalisation, food for sex) • Trauma treatment is almost absent

  10. Children’s Experiences Moving Across Borders Key Patterns: • Accompanied by families and/or friends • Unaccompanied • Prospects in other countries a key driver, not just safety • Trafficking (sexual exploitation, forced labour, radicalisation) • Early marriage, child labour • Language difficulties impede movement • Lack of access to education • Social exclusion • Hostility – police brutality, extortion • Exposure to extreme weather conditions • Trauma as a result of violence • Death • Forced repatriation – double trauma

  11. Children’s Experiences of Migration to Europe Refugee Children in Europe Key Patterns: • Child smuggling and trafficking is an issue (Greece, Calais “Jungle”) • Child Prostitution is also a problem for those earning money to move to “better” countries like the UK • “More than 75% of the 1600 14-17 year olds arriving in Italy report being held against their will or forced to work” (The Guardian newspaper) • Missing children – 10,000 reported missing as of 2015 • Lack of education, access to health-care, decent housing • Trauma and mental health problems • Racism, discrimination • Identity problems • For unaccompanied children – disconnection from families

  12. Government Policies and Refugee Children • UK – Rejection of Lord Dobbs amendment to Immigration Bill to allow safe passage for refugee children • Pakistan – Policy of forced repatriation to Afghanistan • Turkey – Alleged high-handedness of border control • Greece – containment policy on islands leading to over-crowding and abysmal conditions • US – Migrants return • Uganda – Compassionate Refugee Policy (“The refugees are our brothers and we have to help them in any way we can.”)

  13. Research: Key Findings • Half of the world’s refugees and IDPs are children under 18 years • Children are disproportionately affected by the impact of forced migration – trafficking, lack of education, sexual exploitation, trauma) • Conflict is the main reason children are displaced but not the only reason – environmental factors are also involved (hurricane in the Caribbean, mudslides in Sierra Leone, flooding in Bangladesh) • Most receiving countries lack proper child protection systems, policies to safeguard displaced children (Nigeria, Turkey, Lebanon). Their specific needs and priorities are not taken into consideration • Countries with more advanced systems discriminate or exclude refugee children from accessing services (Austria, UK, France) • Lack of adequate data to monitor movement of children across borders • Non European countries (poorer countries) have taken in more refugees, more than European countries (Jordan, Uganda, Pakistan)

  14. Conclusions • We are seeing the highest number of refugee children the world has ever seen – at least 25 million children on the move • The world is a very dire place for refugee children – defined by virtue of seeking refuge, not because they are children (in need of protection) • Many countries have failed in their statutory duties to protect children on the move – refugee children excluded from usual considerations afforded children in most countries • Child trafficking involving refugee and migrant children is a growing problem, not much done to address this. • Impact of so many children out of education – a ticking time-bomb • Refugee children suffer from high levels of trauma caused by exposure to violence, loss, their experiences of forced migration • Inadequate data to monitor the movement of children to inform need, priorities

  15. Recommendations • We advocate for equal rights for all children. Governments should not pigeon-hole children into different categories and deny them their rights based on this. Countries must fulfil their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – for all children. • Countries need to prioritise the establishment of child protection systems so the safety and protection needs of all children can be addressed • Identification schemes in refugee camps to enable immediate protection for (displaced) children • Preventing human trafficking in humanitarian crisis • Information and data collection to enable policy-making to be based on knowledge, not perception • Prioritise the provision of education for refugee children to help stem the tide of the millions of out-of-school children • Provision of mental health and trauma response services is essential for refugee children to enable them cope with their traumatic experiences of violence and forced migration

  16. Migrant Children are Children Too: The Status of the World’s Refugee Children (An AFRUCA Desk Research Project) AFRUCA UK EMAIL: INFO@AFRUCA.ORG WEBSITE: WWW.AFRUCA.ORG

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