'Uprooted: The growing crisis for refugee and migrant children' UNICEF report
by Catherine MALLET
‘Uprooted: The growing crisis for refugee and migrant children' is a recent UNICEF report which presents and discusses available data about the reality of childhood migration and displacement, highlighting specific needs and rights of migrant and refugee children. The report highlights that one in every 45 children in the world today is on the move and that the number of child refugees has risen 77 per cent in five years.
Furthermore the report reveals that
- Children represent a disproportionate and growing proportion of those who have sought refuge outside their countries of birth: they make up about a third of the global population but about half of all refugees. In 2015 around 45 per cent of all child refugees under UNHCR’s protection came from Syria and Afghanistan.
- 28 million children have been driven from their homes by violence and conflict within and across borders, including 10 million child refugees; 1 million asylum-seekers whose refugee status has not yet been determined; and an estimated 17 million children displaced within their own countries – children in dire need of humanitarian assistance and access to critical services.
- More and more children are crossing borders on their own. In 2015, over 100,000 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in 78 countries – triple the number in 2014. Unaccompanied children are among those at the highest risk of exploitation and abuse, including by smugglers and traffickers.
The report argues that where there are safe and legal routes, migration can offer opportunities for both the children who migrate and the communities they join. An analysis of the impact of migration in high-income countries found that migrants contributed more in taxes and social payments than they received; filled both high- and low-skilled gaps in the labour market; and contributed to economic growth and innovation in hosting countries.
The report provides six recommendations to improve the situation. Click here to read the full report https://www.unicef.org/videoaudio/PDFs/Uprooted(1).pdf
Tags: Europe