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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 on the Move in Italy and Greece
REACH, in the framework of a partnership with UNICEF, conducted an assessment on the profiles and experiences of children who arrived in Italy and Greece in 2016 and 2017, why they left home, the risks children encountered on their journey and their life
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Harrowing Journeys: Children and youth on the move across the Mediterranean Sea, at risk of trafficking and exploitation
Adolescents pay a high risk for a chance at a better life. The journey to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea is incredibly dangerous, especially for youth fleeing from Sub-Saharan Africa. A boy with a secondary education, travelling by group through thi
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Youth on the Move: Investigating decision-making, migration trajectories and expectations of young people on the way to Italy
Since March 2016, more than 260,000 people have arrived on Italian shores. The majority of them are young people, with unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) accounting for up to 15% of all arrivals. In order to strengthen policymakers’ and humanitar
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I Play, I Learn and I'm Safe: Project brief
I Play, I Learn and I’m Safe is a Save the Children programme for preventing unsafe migration of children in Ethiopia and Bangladesh by promoting protection, education and play for children on the move. This one-pager briefly presents the programme proces
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#Fearless- campaigning for children on the move
In a time where the refugee crisis went from public outrage to fear. In a time where Swedish politicians decided to go from openness to a ”European minimum” in live tv. In a time where bombs were killing children in Syria, while Sweden and Europe chose to
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Children Come First, Intervento in Frontiera: Dossier III
The general objective of the project "Children Come First: Intervention at the border" is to strengthen the system of protection and reception of migrant children arriving in Italy, whether they are separated or accompanied by their parents. As part of th
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Children Come First, Intervento in Frontiera: Dossier IV
The general objective of the project "Children Come First: Intervention at the border" is to strengthen the system of protection and reception of migrant children arriving in Italy, whether they are separated or accompanied by their parents. As part of th
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Endbericht Pilotprojekt Kinderfreundliche Räume im Empfangs- und Verfahrenszentrum (EVZ) Kreuzlingen
Between September 2016 and August 2017, Save the Children Switzerland together with the Swiss Migration Agency, ran the pilot project "Child-friendly Spaces" at the Reception and Processing Center (EVZ) in Kreuzlingen. The pilot project is based on the re
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The Refugee Children's Progress Report: Grading U.S. Refugee Policy from 2015-2017
The Refugee Children’s Progress Report gives grades to U.S. policy progress on four issues central to the health and well-being of refugee children: education, child protection, food security, and resettlement. Nearly half of the world’s 17.2 million refu
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No Place to Call Home: Protecting children's rights when the changing climate forces them to flee
Children affected by climate change are vulnerable to a range of heightened risks, notably those that result from displacement and migration. Separation, exploitation, and limited access to health and education services are some of the many challenges and
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Children Come First, Intervento in Frontiera: Dossier II
The general objective of the project "Children Come First: Intervention at the border" is to strengthen the system of protection and reception of migrant children arriving in Italy, whether they are separated or accompanied by their parents. As part of th
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I Play, I Learn and I'm Safe: Case Studies
I Play, I Learn and I’m Safe is a Save the Children programme for preventing unsafe migration of children in Ethiopia and Bangladesh by promoting protection, education and play for children on the move. Visit the campaign website to read individual case s