Geneva/New York, 20 November – On Universal Children’s Day, UN child rights experts [1] call on all Governments to safeguard the rights of children on the move.
20/11/2017
Geneva/New York, 20 November – On Universal Children’s Day, UN child rights experts
[1]
call on all Governments to safeguard the rights of children on the move.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty and is further strengthened by its three Optional Protocols on the involvement of children in armed conflict; the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; and on a communications procedure.
“Since the adoption of the Convention, 28 years ago, there has been significant progress in the protection of children’s rights through the implementation of laws and policies, the strengthening of institutions and the consolidation of data. But these positive developments have hardly touched the lives of the millions of children on the move”, stressed the experts. “The past few years have seen higher numbers of children on the move than ever before, travelling alone or with their families, within and across countries. And when it comes to their right to protection, these children are truly left behind.States must recognize the international protection needs of children who flee violence, conflicts and crises”, they added.
Every minute, twenty people are forced to flee their home due to violence, persecution or conflict. In 2015, of the 244 million migrants, approximately 30 million were children. While children constitute 31 per cent of the total world population, in 2016, they were more than half of the total refugee population, and more than 75,000 asylum claims were lodged by unaccompanied or separated children, who are at high risk of exploitation and abuse.
For children on the move, especially when unaccompanied or separated from their families, violence infuses daily life and is often part of a continuum. Many witness horrific scenes, such as the killing of their parents, the rape of their sisters, the forced disappearance of their friends. Others endure the impact of conflicts and remain vulnerable to physical and mental coercion. Still others, are exposed to street crime and community violence, to systematic extortion, and to harassment by gangs and recruitment by armed groups.
Children embark on a dangerous and uncertain journey, often crossing perilous borders and rough seas,at the mercy of unscrupulous smuggling and trafficking networks in the hope of finding a place of safety and security. They may lack proper documentation and not be able to speak the local language. They may endure humiliation, physical attacks and sexual abuse. Girls can face particularly serious risks of abuse and exploitation and at times may be sold into marriage by their desperate families. For the most part, these children are simply too frightened to report abuse or exploitation, or to speak about the trauma they have endured. And they avoid seeking help, including medical treatment, fearing a negative impact on pending decisions on their status, or out of fear of arrest or deportation. They may