As a result of war, poverty and climate change, an increasing number of families are on the move all over the world. An estimate of 30 million children have been displaced due to armed conflicts alone. Often, children are fleeing insecurity on their own, taking on dangerous journeys and routes where they are exposed to threats such as trafficking, sexual exploitation, slavery, violence, and, in cases, torture or other ill-treatment. According to a recent UNICEF survey, 38 percent of unaccompanied refugee and migrant children claim that they have received little to no support while on the move and many of them ended up in detention facilities as an “option” of alternative care.

2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), one of the most widely ratified international human rights treaties. Up to this date, only the United States is yet to become a party to the Convention. The ratification of the CRC comes with the obligation to ensure that children under the age of 18 fully enjoy the rights and freedoms articulated in the Convention.

The CRC contains provisions on the right to life, survival and development; prohibits any kind of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; protects from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse; and articulates the right to appropriate care, healthcare, education and appropriate standards of living.

The framework set out in the treaty is supplemented by other international agreements. The UN Guidelines on Alternative Care were adopted in 2009 to strengthen the protection of orphan and unparented children and to ensure that these children are provided with the most suitable form of alternative care by the state.

While State Parties to the CRC are obliged to report on their progress to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the rights of migrant and refugee children are too often denied. Many countries neglect their obligation to ensure and respect the rights of these children, even though the Committee monitors their development and urges them to act accordingly if they fail to do so. According to many, the United States’ “refusal to ratify the Convention is a blatant disregard for children's rights” in itself.

The data provided by countries in the reporting process are also often inaccurate or even non-existent. As a result, the evidence are frequently based on the testimonies of children. For instance, testimonies of migrant and refugee minors settling in Scotland, Germany, Mexico, Morocco and Ethiopia highlight the lack of support received throughout their journeys, which often results in their inability to trust adults.

The most accurate information is gathered in Europe. A report by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles provides a detailed overview on the rights of refugee children in Europe, which outlines examples in need of further improvement, such as Bulgaria’s failure to appoint legal guardians, the increasing number of child detainees in France, and the “patchy” accommodations in Germany.

While Europe presents more accurate and consistent data, it is still difficult to paint the whole picture of a given country’s situation. However, the continent’s efforts to ensure the rights of migrant and refugee children cannot be compared to the countries where the highest rates of migration are measured. Low income countries, such as Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon and Uganda account for 85 percent of refugees. And yet, these nations receive minimal assistance on how to fulfil the rights of refugee and migrant children, despite the UNCRC’s vision of international cooperation to do so.

Few successes have been achieved concerning the promotion and protection of the rights of migrant and refugee children. Examples of good practices can be presented by the guardianship system set up in Palermo, Sicily, which ensures that each child is appointed with a legal guardian; the alternative care system in Mexico, which provides full support to refugee children from accommodation to the promotion of their integration into the local community; and the immediate registration of unaccompanied children in Ethiopia, which ensures the immediate reunification of families or children’s placement in foster care.

As is often the case, states act as the rights of unaccompanied and separated children cease at their borders, diminishing the few efforts which have been achieved. Refugee and migrant children must be treated with dignity; the international community must ensure their access to education, healthcare and alternative care. Their needs must be assessed through a case-by-case analysis to identify the best form of alternative care possible.

As Chrissie Gale and others highlight “unless the world makes concrete commitments to address these children's rights much more effectively, any celebrations of the Convention's 30th anniversary this year will ring very hollow.” The international principles, knowledge and examples of good practices exist, which provides the basis of recent online course on unaccompanied and separated children on the move. It is time for the international community to ensure that states comply with their obligation to respect and to ensure respect for the rights of the millions of displaced children by ensuring that they are treated like what they deserve: with respect, care and support.

Source
Countries this relates to

Childhub

You might like..

0
93
The National Network for Children Bulgaria issued a reminder that 12 June was World Day Against Child Labor. Today, 152 million children work, and 72 million of which carry out dangerous labor. This means that almost…
0
14
A study conducted by UNICEF came up with the astonishing number of 115 million boys and men involved in forced marriages in over 80 countries of the globe, from Latin America to East Asia. From this total number, 23 million were not even 15 years…
0
31
Millions of children are out of school, lack access to health care and suffer violence and exploitation. To ensure that all children survive, thrive, learn and are protected, governments need to step up efforts to realize the rights of all children…
0
18
Many migrant children have been raised in societies where living conditions and paediatric healthcare differ from those of industrialized countries. As a result, migrant children have important healthcare needs. Researchers claim that the burden of…
0
3
Children face violence and abuse everyday; every fourth girl in Jamaica and every fifth girl in Europe has been a victim of sexual harassment. Unfortunately, sport is one of the most common areas where violence against and abuse of children…
0
5
Rania Ali, a Syrian refugee now living in Austria, took part in ‘Lost in Migration’, a conference held this month in Malta. Ali contributed to a discussion on why children in migration cannot speak for themselves. She warned that numerous…
0
719
There are currently 152 million children in child labour, 72 million of whom carry out hazardous work. Almost one in ten of all children worldwide are in child labour. The current health and economic crisis, which appeared with COVID-19,…
0
4
This report gives an overview of the international legal framework containing norm relevant to the protection of child migrants. Particular focus is on the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), since this widely ratified…
0
2
Prior to the World Cup in Germany in 2006, there was considerable international concern that this event would contribute to a sharp increase in trafficking for sexual exploitation. Media reports suggested that prostitution would increase and that…
0
Children have been protesting and calling governments to address climate change, with strikes organized around the world on 15 March. UN experts have voiced their support for these efforts to protect the environment by approving the Human Rights…
0
30
Every two years, the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) publishes World Perspectives on Child Abuse, a collection of data and information on child maltreatment policies, laws, and programs around the world.…
0
17
About the webinar: The Child Sex Trafficking Series has been revitalized for 2018. The updated modules include an emphasized public health approach to the issue, with more opportunities to review case studies. It is open to any…
yes
0
107
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Compared to 1989, the infant mortality rate has been reduced by 50%. But each year, more than 5 million still die from preventable causes. Terre des…
0
1
Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Right’s issue paper on “the Human Rights of Irregular Migrants in Europe”. The document reviews the factors underlying irregular migration to Europe and the special vulnerability of those migrants. It…
0
35
When thinking about how refugee people choose their destination country, European policy makers rarely draw conclusions informed by the discussion with refugee people. Instead, they made their assumptions which based on a survey among refugee people…