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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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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
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Impacto del Desplazamiento Interno Forzado por Violencia Generalizada en los Derechos de la Niñez y Adolescencia en El Salvador
El objetivo de este estudio es visibilizar la problemática de la niñez y adolescencia víctima de violencia generalizada en condición de desplazamiento interno en El Salvador. Asimismo, se profundiza en la responsabilidad de las instituciones titulares de
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Parenting on the Move: Testimonies of refugee parents in Serbia
In the report, refugee parents tell about the burdens of the refugee experiences and challenges which they face in their parenting roles during the strenuous and unpredictable journeys they are taking hoping to find safety and better lives for their famil
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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
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Successful Transition Framework: Holistic support for returning refugee students
In the context of refugee return currently underway along the Thailand-Myanmar border, this framework provides guidance for education service providers in Myanmar to support holistic transitions for returning refugee students and their successful integrat
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Migración y desplazamiento de niños y niñas en América Latina y el Caribe
Save the Children en la Región:- Prevenir las causas de la migración forzada, poniendo énfasis en la educación y la cultura de paz, y a la vez mejorando la situación económica de las familias.- Fortalecer los sistemas de protección para atender a los niño
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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
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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
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Child-related Concerns and Migration Decisions: Evidence from the Gallup World Poll
This research paper investigates child well-being as a driver for migration. Results show a positive and significant relationship between child-related concerns and migration plans. The likelihood of migration plans increases with lower scores of child we
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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
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Sistemas de Protección para Niñez Migrante en Retorno
Con el objetivo de recolectar información que permita conocer la situación de los niños, niñas y adolescentes que son deportados a sus países, entender cómo experimentan el proceso de retorno a sus entornos familiares y comunidades de origen, y cómo reali
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Balkans Migration and Displacement Hub Data and Trends Analysis: Regional overview (September- December 2017)
More than 5,000 refugees and migrants are estimated to have arrived to the Balkans countries (other than Greece) in the last four months of 2017, out of which about one-third were children. However, the data shows that the number of refugees and migrants