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Children on the move
As of January 2016, an estimated 30 million children are on the move, both within and between countries, with or without their parents. They are part of large-scale population movements currently taking place in many parts of the world.
Children on the move are those children moving for a variety of reasons, voluntary or involuntary within or between countries, with or without their parents or other primary caregivers, and whose movement might place them at risk (or at an increased risk) of inadequate care, economic or sexual exploitation, abuse, neglect or violence.
Children on the move is an umbrella term that brings together a series of categories of children to highlight their common protection needs, including, children who have been trafficked, children who migrate (e.g. to pursue better life opportunities, to look for work or education or to escape exploitative or abusive situations at home, or because of other protection needs), children displaced by conflict and natural disasters and children who live and work in the streets.
Movement can help children and their families improve their living standards and life opportunities. However, children do not always benefit from such potentials. Child protection policies and interventions should refocus to place the protection of the child at the centre as well as the need to support the positive aspects of mobility.
Save the Children’s goal is that all children, including those on the move and in emergencies, have appropriate care either from their own families or community-based alternatives.
Photo: Pedro Armestre/Save the Children
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Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants on the Move in Europe: A multi-agency guidance note
An unprecedented number of individuals and families, including increasing numbers of children, have crossed the Mediterranean and Aegean seas in an attempt to reach safety and security in Europe. This guidance note, prepared my multiple agencies, provides
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Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes Migrantes Retornados. Un análisis de los contextos y las respuestas de los servicios y las políticas de protección en El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y México
This rapid assessment aims to address the lack of information on policies and services of government agencies and non-governmental organizations responsible for protecting the rights of child and adolescent migrants returning to their countries of origin
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List of Documents about Child Mobility in West Africa
On July 14th 2014 in Dakar, Senegal, a workshop took place between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commissioner in charge of Social Affairs and Gender, a delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the R
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Interaction of International Mechanisms of Migrants' Rights Protection: A child rights perspective
This paper is part of a series of bridging papers looking at different points of the 5-year Action Plan for Collaboration from a child rights perspective. Child migrants are doubly vulnerable as both children and as migrants, putting them at heightened ri
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Jozi Lights: How to protect children engaging in rural to urban migration
By the late 2030s, Africa is set to become a continent with more of its population living in urban than rural areas. Not only do population growth trends in Africa suggest that the sizes of those urban populations will be substantial (by 2100, almost half
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Labour Rights for Migrant Workers: A child rights perspective
This paper is part of a series of bridging papers looking at different points of the 5-year Action Plan for Collaboration from a child rights perspective. The aim was to examine the specificities affecting children in the context of migration and inform m
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Journey to My Dreams- Child migration in Thailand
This short documentary, by Terre des Hommes, introduces child migration in Thailand. Often coming from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, children travel to the cities of Thailand in search of work. They are often unaccompanied and so far little is known about
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Detained Youth: The fate of young migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in Libya today
This study provides information on the current and ongoing detention of young migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in Libya. Through in-depth interviews with former detainees, serious violations are revealed to have occurred in Libya’s immigration detent
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Att Möta Barn: Psykologernas tips till dig som möter barn på flykt
Psychologists from Save the Children Sweden talk about how to meet children on the move, child refugees, or children who have experienced trauma. In this series of four videos, psychologists talk about trauma, safety, feelings, and the need for healthy re
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Migrants Stranded in Distress: A child rights perspective
This paper is part of a series of bridging papers looking at different points of the 5-year Action Plan for Collaboration from a child rights perspective. Stranded migrants can come from any country and be stranded at any point of the migratory movement.
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Seven Suitcases
Published by UNICEF Hungary, this video is made from the drawings of children fleeing conflict. The children narrate the film and share why they had to leave their homes and friends and how difficult it was to start a new life.
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The Long Road- El Camino más Largo
Children face many dangers when they try to migrate to the United States: crossing rivers, deserts and mountains; climbing on top of cargo trains to make their way, unseen. Save the Children works to protect child migrants and to prevent unsafe and forced