Publications

The experience children and young people who migrated from their homes in Afghanistan – especially those who have been forced to return – can be described as a spiral of harm and neglect. For many, poverty and a desire to help their families drives them from their homes. Far too often, the journey exposes them to harm and economic exploitation. Many are forced to return, where re-entry into Afghanistan communities brings discontentment.

These are among the findings of As They Move: Child and Youth Experiences of Migration, Displacement and Return in Afghanistan. The evidence-based research report is uses surveys and interviews of more than 1,500 children and young people in Afghanistan. The study was conducted by UNICEF Afghanistan Country Office, in partnership with UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight with the support of UNICEF Netherland.

Despite the growing scale of forced displacement involving children and youth, our understanding of this phenomenon is severely limited by significant gaps in the availability of both relevant data and data-driven research. According to UNICEF, there is recorded data by age for just 56 percent of the refugee population under UNHCR’s mandate, while IDMC notes that just 14 percent of countries and territories with reported internally displaced populations provide data on age. The following edition of the Joint Data Center Quarterly Digest, jointly produced by UNICEF and the JDC, spotlights several recent data-driven contributions addressing these critical gaps in knowledge. We focus, in particular, on mental health risks faced by forcibly displaced children; evidence from existing evaluations and assessments on ‘what works’; and emerging research into the use of technological innovations for the management of child migration and displacement data. Taken together, this literature selection offers examples of the kinds of credible, actionable evidence which practitioners and policymakers urgently need to better support those who are forcibly displaced around the world, regardless of age.

Today almost 37 million children are displaced worldwide – the highest number ever recorded. These figures are consistent with the vast scale of global displacement, with over 100 million people in the world displaced due to war and conflict, extreme weather events, and other crises. Displacement has a compounding negative effect on the ability of families to access services and enjoy the stability needed to foster the healthy development and well-being of children.

The rate and impact of displacement is set to continue as conflicts remain protracted and climate hazards grow in frequency and severity. Concerted action is urgently needed to mitigate existing risks and identify the most effective ways to reduce disruptions to services, livelihoods, and child and family well-being. There is a pressing need for data and evidence to guide effective aid responses; identify good practices for guaranteeing the rights and ensuring the protection, and well-being of children engaged in migration and displacement; and to enable children’s lived realities to be heard and understood.

This article provides key insights from a comprehensive review of Innocenti’s research on migration and displacement over the last 30 years. It provides a foundation on which Innocenti’s current evidence strategy on child refugees and migrants is being built, blending past learning with research on pressing current and future needs and trends. 

Disclaimer: This Migration Retrospective has not been edited to official publication standards and UNICEF accepts no responsibility for errors.

Migration is a regular feature of life in the Horn of Africa. It takes multiple forms and is driven by numerous factors, including personal aspirations, economic exclusion and forced displacement as a consequence of inter-ethnic communal violence or natural disasters.

As part of a regional research series and based specifically on 418 quantitative interviews carried out in 2019, with children and young people in Somaliland and Puntland, this report provides a deeper understanding of their perceptions and feelings around safety, well-being and their protective environments. It also provides a snapshot of their access to services and resources, and their trust in authorities and other service providers.

The report concludes by offering policy and programme recommendations that can help rethink child protection approaches for migrant children and young people.

Migration is a regular feature of life in Sudan and the broader region. It takes multiple forms and is driven by numerous factors, including personal aspirations, curiosity, problems accessing a livelihood in the context of poverty and economic exclusion, and forced displacement stemming from political persecution, armed conflict, or natural disasters.

Children and young people make up a significant portion of the upwards of 3 million migrants in Sudan. Yet there is limited understanding of the ways in which children and young people view migration, or of the opportunities and risks that it poses for them.

As part of a regional research series, 467 quantitative interviews were conducted with children and young people in Sudan. The data from these interviews provide insights from children and young people themselves. Building on the findings, the research suggests a number of principles and concrete actions to create a more protective environment for children and young people on their migration journeys.

Migration is a regular feature of life in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa region. It takes multiple forms and is driven by numerous factors, including personal aspirations, economic exclusion and forced displacement as a consequence of inter-ethnic communal violence or natural disasters. 

As part of a regional research series and based specifically on interviews carried out in 2019 with 405 migrant children and young people in Ethiopia, this report provides a deeper understanding of their perceptions and feelings around safety, well-being and their protective environments. It also provides a snapshot of their access to services and resources, and their trust in authorities and other service providers in Ethiopia. 

The report concludes by offering policy and programme recommendations that can help rethink child protection approaches for migrant children and young people in Ethiopia.

The number of international migrants under 18 is rising, accelerated by complex and fast-evolving economic, demographic, security and environmental drivers. Based on interviews carried out with 1,290 migrant children and young people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan, this report helps address the evidence gap on children and young people migrating in the Horn of Africa by providing a better understanding of their protective environments; their access to services and resources; and their perceptions of safety, well-being and trust in authorities and other providers.

It concludes by offering policy and programme recommendations to rethink child protection approaches for migrants in the region.

Evidence and objective assessment are needed more than ever to help enhance the rights and well-being of the world’s children. Researching the changing world around us and evaluating progress are two sides of the same coin, both critical to reimagining a better future for children. In recognition of this, UNICEF celebrates and showcases innovative and influential research and evaluations from our offices around the world every year. For 2020, Innocenti and the Evaluation Office joined forces to find the most rigorous UNICEF studies with greatest influence on policies and programmes that benefit children.

يتعرض الأطفال المنخرطون في حركات الهجرة ، سواء داخل الدول أو فيما بينها ، لخطر متزايد من التعرض للعنف أوالخضوع  له. الأطفال المهاجرون واللاجئون معرضون للخطرخاصة  إذا كانوا غير مصحوبين بذويهم أو منفصلين عن أسرهم وقد يتعرضون للعنف الجنسي والاستغلال ، فضلاً عن العمل القسري والاتجار بالبشر٠

Les enfants qui participent à des mouvements migratoires, tant à l’intérieur de leur pays qu’audelà de leurs frontières nationales, courent un risque accru de subir des actes de violence. Les enfants migrants et réfugiés sont particulièrement vulnérables s’ils ne sont pas accompagnés ou s’ils sont séparés de leur famille et peuvent être victimes de violences et d’exploitation sexuelles, ainsi que du travail forcé et de la traite des êtres humains.

I minori coinvolti in movimenti migratori sia interni che internazionali corrono un rischio maggiore di essere esposti o sottoposti a violenza. I minori migranti e rifugiati non accompagnati o separati dalla famiglia sono particolarmente vulnerabili e possono essere vittime di violenza sessuale, sfruttamento, lavoro forzato e traffico di esseri umani.

Los niños que forman parte de corrientes migratorias tanto internas como internacionales corren un mayor riesgo de quedar expuestos a la violencia o ser objeto de ella. Los niños migrantes y refugiados son especialmente vulnerables cuando no están acompañados o se han separado de sus familias, y pueden ser víctimas de violencia sexual y explotación, así como de trabajos forzosos o trata de personas.