UUI, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 236: UNICEF rapport: "Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children"

Udlændinge-, Integrations- og Boligudvalget 2015-16
UUI Alm.del Bilag 236
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Uprooted

THE GROWING CRISIS FOR

REFUGEE AND MIGRANT

CHILDREN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

AND KEY FINDINGS

UUI, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 236: UNICEF rapport: "Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children"

Around the world, nearly 50 million

children have migrated across borders

or been forcibly displaced – and this is

a conservative estimate. More than half

of these girls and boys fled violence

and insecurity – 28 million in total.

These children may be refugees,

internally displaced or migrants, but

first and foremost, they are children:

no matter where they come from,

whoever they are, and without

exception.

Children do not bear any responsibility

for the bombs and bullets, the gang

violence, persecution, the shriveled

crops and low family wages driving

them from their homes. They are,

however, always the first to be affected

by war, conflict, climate change and

poverty.

Children in these contexts are among

the most vulnerable people on earth

and this vulnerability is only getting

worse. The number of child refugees

under the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR)

mandate has more than doubled in

just 10 years – this shocking statistic is

simply unacceptable.

The violations have to stop.

When, and if, these children reach

destination countries, the threats

they face do not disappear. Despite

extraordinary and generous actions to

help them in many places and by many

people and organizations, children

and their families struggle to gain a

foothold. Refugee and migrant children

disproportionately face poverty and

exclusion at a time when they are in

desperate need of essential services

and protection.

Supporting displaced and migrant

children at home and globally is a

shared responsibility – shared because

no one is untouched by the impacts of

the multiple crises in the world.

Children’s voices, their plight and

the issues they face must become

the focus of international debates on

migration and displacement.

This report presents, for the first time,

comprehensive, global data about

these children – where they are born,

where they move, and some of the

dangers they face along the way. The

report sheds light on the truly global

nature of childhood migration and

displacement, highlighting the major

challenges faced by child migrants and

refugees in every region.

Their world is no place for a child.

Migrating and displaced children are

at risk of some of the worst forms of

abuse and harm. Often dependent on

human smuggling, they can easily fall

victim to traffickers and other criminals.

Many are subjected to extreme forms

of abuse and deprivation during their

journeys.

UUI, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 236: UNICEF rapport: "Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children"

Action for children cannot wait

Based on the ﬁndings of the report and its work in the ﬁeld, UNICEF has developed six goals and practical

suggestions to protect child migrants and refugees and provide them with hope for the future:

Protect child refugees and migrants, particularly unaccompanied children, from exploitation and violence

Introduce measures to strengthen child protection systems, including the training of social and child workers and

working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and professional groups. Clamp down on trafficking, not

only through enhanced law enforcement, but also by providing better support to migrant children through the

systematic appointment of qualified guardians; better access to information regarding their own situation and the

management of their cases; and access to legal assistance. Governments should also develop clearer guidance

for case officers when determining the migration status of children, to prevent the return of children and families

to persecution, dangerous or life-threatening situations, using the ‘best interest of the child’ principle to guide

legal decision-making in all cases.

End the detention of children seeking refugee status or migrating

Introduce practical alternatives to detention wherever children (or their families) are involved, given the negative

impact of detention on a child’s development. Children are particularly vulnerable to physical and psychological

violence. Examples of alternatives to detention include: the surrender of passport and regular reporting requirements;

guarantors or bailees who may be family members or community supporters; foster care and supervised independent

living for unaccompanied and separated children; and compulsory registration with authorities.

Keep families together as the best way to protect children and give children legal status

Develop clear policy guidance to keep children from being separated from their parents during border control

processing and any migrant legal processes. States should speed-up procedures and make it easier for children

to reunite with their families, including with their extended families in destination countries. States should

pursue all practical measures to reunify children with their families. Children born to migrant parents need legal

identity for their future wellbeing. Governments should provide birth registration and/or other identity documents

to enable children to access services and avoid statelessness.

Keep all refugee and migrant children learning and give them access to health and other quality services

An increased collective effort by governments, communities and the private sector is needed to provide

education, health, shelter, nutrition, water and sanitation, and access to legal and psychosocial support to these

children. This is not only a collective responsibility, it is in all societies’ common interests. A child’s migration

status should never represent a barrier to accessing essential services.

Press for action on the underlying causes of large-scale movements of refugees and migrants

Address the root causes of conflict, violence and extreme poverty in countries of origin. This should include

increasing access to education and social protection; expanding opportunities for family income and youth

employment; and fostering more accountable and transparent governance. Governments should facilitate

community dialogue and engagement towards peaceful conflict resolution, tolerance and a more inclusive

society; and should take measures against gang violence.

Promote measures to combat xenophobia, discrimination and marginalization in countries of transit and

destination

Coalitions of NGOs, communities, private sector, religious groups and political leaders should take responsibility

for influencing public opinion to prevent the rise of xenophobia and discrimination toward refugees.

UUI, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 236: UNICEF rapport: "Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children"

The Global Perspective

The story of child refugees and migrants is a global story, not one conﬁned to a single region

Nearly

Child refugees

31 million children live outside their country of birth, including 11

million child refugees and asylum-seekers.

Nearly one in three children living outside their country of birth is a

refugee; for adults, the proportion under UNHCR’s mandate is less

than 1 in 20.

In 2015, just two countries – the Syrian Arab Republic and

Afghanistan – accounted for nearly half of all child refugees under

UNHCR’s mandate; about three-quarters of all child refugees under

UNHCR’s mandate came from only 10 countries.

Today, nearly 1 in every 200 children in the world is a child refugee.

Between 2005 and 2015, the number of child refugees under the

UNHCR’s mandate more than doubled. During the same period, the

total number of all child migrants rose by 21 per cent.

Approximately 10 million child refugees are hosted across the world,

primarily within the regions where they were born.

Girls and boys are equally represented among registered refugees,

although children’s risk of specific protection violations – such as

recruitment by armed forces and armed groups, or sexual and

gender-based violence – may differ between girls and boys.

Overall, the refugee population is much younger than the migrant

population. While a clear majority of the world’s migrants are adults,

children now comprise half of all refugees.

The 10 countries hosting the largest numbers of refugees are

all in Asia and Africa, with Turkey hosting by-far the largest total

number of refugees under UNHCR’s mandate. Although complete

age-disaggregated data are not available for refugees in Turkey, its

substantial share of total refugees makes Turkey likely the host of

the largest number of child refugees in the world.

1 in 200

children in the world

is a child refugee

Nearly

1 in 3

children living outside

their country of birth

is a refugee

as many child

refugees* in 2015

than in 2005

2015

2005

Data about children are crucial to

decision-making but are incomplete

Children are too often relegated to the

fringes of the world’s debates about

migration and displacement. One

reason is the lack of hard numbers to

support the case for children. Without

reliable data, evidence-based debates

and policymaking are hampered.

Global estimates are incomplete and

therefore do not tell us the whole story.

We do not know where all the world’s

child refugees and migrants were born,

how old they are, or whether their

migration was forced or voluntary. There

are even fewer comprehensive and

comparable indications about how child

migrants fare in their countries of origin,

transit, and destination.

This report is an effort to bring together

the best data that are available, but

effectively addressing the rights and

needs of children requires concerted

action to ﬁll the gaps that remain.

Internally displaced children

By the end of 2015, some 41 million people were displaced by

violence and conflict within their own countries; an estimated 17

million of them were children.

At the end of 2015, 19.2 million people had been internally displaced

by violence and conflict across Asia, a staggering 47 per cent of the

global total for similar internal displacements.

Together, the Syrian Arab Republic, Iraq and Yemen accounted for

nearly one-third of the world’s total of conflict-induced internal

displacements by the end of 2015.

There were 12.4 million internally displaced persons by conflict and

violence across Africa in 2015. Four countries in Africa – Nigeria,

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic and

South Sudan – were among the top 10 countries globally for new,

violence-induced internal displacements in 2015.

*Under UNHCR’s mandate

UUI, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 236: UNICEF rapport: "Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children"

Child migrants

Globally, three out of every five international

child migrants live in Asia or Africa.

Since 1990, the proportion of international child

migrants within the global child population

has remained stable at just over 1 per cent,

but a rising global population means that the

absolute number of child migrants has increased

significantly in the past 25 years.

Today, 1 in every 70 children worldwide lives

outside their country of birth. Like adults, most

children who move migrate primarily within their

own geographical region.

When girls and boys move across international

borders, they do so in almost equal numbers.

This pattern is contrary to adult migration,

where there are pronounced differences in the

proportion of men and women by region.

Half of all the world’s child migrants live in just 15

countries, led by the United States of America,

which is home to 3.7 million child migrants.

The Regional Perspective

Childhood migration and displacement look different in each region of the world

More than half of all international migration is composed of movements within regions, and the three largest

migration movements in the world are all intra-regional. Refugee movements are even more concentrated within

regions than with general migration.

Africa

Some 86 per cent of African refugees find asylum in

other African countries.

5.4 million refugees originate from African countries

and children are disproportionately represented among

them.

Approximately one half of African refugees are children

– nearly three million children who have been forced

from their own countries and are confronting the

world’s harshest realities. Africa has one of the world’s

lowest rates of child migration, with just 1 in 90 African

children living outside their country of birth.

While the total rates of migration are low, the share of

children among Africa’s migrants is the largest for any

region. Nearly one in three African migrants is a child,

more than twice the global average.

African migrants is a child

UUI, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 236: UNICEF rapport: "Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children"

The Americas

Four out of five child migrants in the Americas live in

just three countries: the United States, Mexico, and

Canada.

The Americas are home to 6.3 million child migrants -

21 per cent of the global total.

One in 10 migrants in the Americas is a child, but that

average masks two distinct realities: children make

up a relatively small proportion of migrants living in

Northern America, South America and the Caribbean

(8, 15, and 15 per cent, respectively); and children

comprise 43 per cent of all migrants living in Central

America.

There is a high and increasing number of vulnerable

children moving on their own within the Americas

– often fleeing violence in their homes and

communities.

Dramatic increases in the number of children

apprehended by immigration authorities at the

southern border of the United States reflect

underlying challenges for children in their countries

of origin and underscore the importance of United

States’ migration legislation, policy and enforcement

decisions for children throughout the region.

The Americas are home to

6.3 million

child migrants, 1/5 of the global total

Asia

Nearly 12 million of the world’s international child

migrants live in Asia. This represents 39 per cent of

all international child migrants, well below Asia’s 56

per cent share of the global child population.

As a result of its large overall population, Asia is

home to the largest total number of child migrants in

the world. However, a relatively low proportion of its

children migrate: just 1 in 110 of Asia’s children live

outside their country of birth.

Saudi Arabia hosts the largest number of child

migrants in Asia and the second highest number of

child migrants in the world.

Other Asian countries hosting large numbers of child

migrants – which include Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan

and Turkey – all host large numbers of child refugees.

This reflects the continuing toll of conflict rather than

a trend of voluntary child movement.

The five countries and territories hosting the largest

numbers of refugees in the world are all in Asia.

In 2015, around 45 per cent of all child refugees

under UNHCR’s mandate had origins in the Syrian

Arab Republic and Afghanistan.

Asia is home to

of the world’s

child migrants

UUI, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 236: UNICEF rapport: "Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children"

Europe

At the end of 2015, Europe hosted approximately

one in nine of all refugees under UNHCR’s

mandate, a total of 1.8 million people. An additional

one million asylum-seekers in Europe were also

awaiting the outcome of their asylum applications.

Data availability and disaggregation vary widely

across the region. Among the European countries

hosting the largest numbers of refugees,

only Germany and Serbia publically report

comprehensive numbers and percentages of

children in their overall totals of refugees.

More than twice as many children applied for

asylum within the European Union and free

movement zone in 2015 compared to 2014; in the

first half of 2016, nearly 70 per cent of children

seeking asylum in the European Union and free

movement zone were fleeing conflict in the Syrian

Arab Republic, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The 5.4 million child migrants in Europe are just

7 per cent of all the region’s migrants. This is

the lowest share of children in a total migrant

population for any region. Approximately one in six

of the world’s child migrants lives in Europe.

*European Union and free movement zone

children seeking asylum in Europe* in

2016 were ﬂeeing conﬂict in the Syrian

Arab Republic, Afghanistan and Iraq

Oceania

Child migrants constitute a high proportion of all

children in Oceania. Six in every 100 children in the

region are migrants.

The 670,000 child migrants living in Oceania

represent 2 per cent of child migrants in the world.

Children represent a relatively small proportion of

the migrant population in Oceania, making up just

8 per cent of all migrants in the region.

Between 1990 and 2015, the total number of child

migrants increased in Oceania from 430,000 to

670,000, but overall migration rose faster, meaning

that children now make up a slightly smaller

proportion of the migrant population than they did

25 years ago.

Just over 48,000 refugees live in Oceania. While

disaggregated data on the number of children in

that total are not available, recent reports indicate

that children seeking refuge in the region face

serious danger as they attempt to reach safer

shores.

Oceania is the destination for nearly

7 million

migrants

from outside

the region

UUI, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 236: UNICEF rapport: "Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children"

Around the world, nearly 50 million

children have migrated across

borders or been forcibly displaced –

and this is a conservative estimate.

More than half of these girls and

boys fled violence and insecurity – 28

million in total.

These children may be refugees,

internally displaced or migrants, but

first and foremost, they are children:

no matter where they come from,

whoever they are, and without

exception.

Published by UNICEF

Division of Data, Research and Policy

3 United Nations Plaza

New York, NY 10017, USA

www.unicef.org

September 2016

Cover Photo: Addis, holding his 30-month-old

son, Lato, sits in a cell at the Alguaiha detention

centre in the coastal town of Garabulli on the

north-western coast of Libya. The detention

facility houses migrants apprehended while

attempting the dangerous voyage across the

Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. Addis, from

Eritrea, is now a single parent. He and his wife

decided to leave their homeland right after Lato

was born. The family spent two years in Sudan,

where Addis worked as a driver. “After that, we

decided to go to Tripoli, where my brother is

working in a supermarket, he said. His wife died

”

during the journey by truck between Sudan and

Libya. With the help of another man making the

journey, he buried her under the sand. “Now I

am here in this detention center because, as we

were only 200 kilometres from Tripoli, the police

caught us at a check point. My dream is still to

join my brother in Tripoli and offer a better life to

my son, he said.

”