You are here
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
-
Boxes of Wonder: Creation of the program with children on the move
Boxes of Wonder: Creation of the Program with Children on the Move is a manual presenting the use Boxes of Wonder (BoW), an innovative conceptual framework for structuring the programs of direct work with children on the move. BoW are, at the same time, a
-
Why Children Stay
Far more children choose to remain within, or close to, communities featuring high rates of migration, rather than to leave – yet we know surprisingly little about their reasons for doing so. This report addresses this critical gap in our knowledge by exa
-
Predicting Displacement: Using predictive analytics to build a better future for displaced children
A record-breaking 68.5 million individuals worldwide have been displaced from their homes as a result of persecution, conflict, or violence. Over 50% are children. When a displacement crisis occurs, aid agencies are equipped to mobilise massive resources
-
Balkans Migration and Displacement Hub Data and Trends Analysis: Regional overview (January- March 2018)
Data and Trend Analysis (DATA) Refugees and Migrants at the Western Balkans Route Regional Overview, covering period January-March 2018, describes key trends in migrations in the region, detailing information about the number of people on the move, demogr
-
On the Move Alone (OMA): A practical tool for case management of unaccompanied migrant children in southern Africa
This practitioners’ guidebook and On the Move Alone (OMA) Tool is intended to serve as the official guide for SADC member states in the development of their National Action Plans. These plans are set to be aligned to the new Regional Strategic Plan to Add
-
Young Invisible Enslaved: 2018 report on children victims of trafficking and labour exploitation in Italy
Child trafficking is one of the great tragedies of our time; it is widespread all over the world. Italy, like the rest of Europe, is not immune to it. The most devastating violations are against children, girls and adolescents fleeing from countries burde
-
Rights of Migrants in Action: Child protection projects – Synthesis report of lessons learned in Benin, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala and Indonesia
The “Rights of Migrants in Action” (RoMiA) was a global project that aimed to protect and promote the rights of migrants while harnessing the knowledge and building the capacity of civil society organizations (CSO). The project focused on enforcing and pr
-
Children in the Situation of Human Mobility and the Role of Municipalities of Central America
In September 2018, the Central American Learning Circle on Children’s Rights and Local Development convened a seminar in Apaneca, El Salvador, about “Children in a situation of human mobility and the role of municipalities in Central America.” Representat
-
Adolescents in Transition in the Horn of Africa
Cycles of drought, conflict and political instability in the Horn of Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia) continue to impact the wellbeing of children, and the situation is getting worse with the frequency of crises and growing population pressures. Inter
-
Explore, Engage, Act! Children and young people and the Global Compact on Refugees and Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
Today, millions of children and adolescents are forced to leave their homes to escape conflict, violence, poverty or environmental degradation, many of them crossing international borders. Along the way, they are at risk of abuse, exploitation, and violen
-
Young and on the Move in West Africa
This report aims to offer a better understanding of child mobility in West Africa in the context of mixed migration movements. It provides an up-to-date overview of the routes that children move along in and from the region, the reasons that children move
-
Balkans Migration and Displacement Hub Data and Trend Analysis (DATA): Regional Overview July – September 2018
Data and Trend Analysis (DATA) Refugees and Migrants at the Western Balkans Route Regional Overview, covering period July- September 2018, describes key trends in migrations in the region, detailing information about the number of people on the move, demo