Florence: UNICEF Innocenti’s new report Reimagining Migration Responses: Learning from children and young people who move in the Horn of Africa captures the experiences of 1,290 migrant children and young people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan in an effort to paint a more accurate picture of migration in the region.
According to the report, a growing number of children and young people worldwide are migrating in search of a better life.
In the Horn of Africa, migration has long been a key coping strategy, with children and young people leaving home, alone or with families or friends, for a variety of reasons—from job prospects, to joining loved ones, to ensuring their own safety.
"Migration is often framed in terms of risk rather than opportunity," explains Ramya Subrahmanian, Innocenti’s Chief of Child Rights and Protection, in a press release on Tuesday.
"The reality is that a lot of these children and young people decide to move or are compelled to move, despite being aware of the risks involved. For them, it’s a better alternative than staying at home," Surahmanian stated.
The study lays bare the complexities of migration and calls for a multi-dimensional and adaptive approach to understanding and providing for the needs of children and young people who move.
"International frameworks outline distinct categories of migration—refugee, migrant, asylum seeker, internally displaced person—but what this research shows is that young migrants define their own migration narrative and many do not ascribe to any of these categories," Innocenti’s Director, Gunilla Olsson, explained.
"Designing policies that take their views into account can help to ensure that children who move can access the services they need," Olsson stated.
Not only are more integrated definitions required to protect children on the move, but other factors which make the journey unsafe should also be addressed.
A lack of trust in authorities means children who move may resort to unsafe routes to avoid them, including using smugglers at the risk of exploitation and violence.
Access to services is already limited, but additional barriers, including language and location, further undermine the system’s ability to adequately provide for children and young people on the move and deny them the means to improve their lives in the long-term.
The research suggests three actions governments and stakeholders can take now to improve the situation for children and young people in the Horn of Africa.
"First, we must put children’s migration experiences at the heart of policies. Listening to and including children’s experiences is crucial to better policymaking and investments," Subrahmanian said.
"Second, we must protect and provide for all children, regardless of their reasons for migrating. And finally, we must better coordinate and integrate approaches to child protection services," Subrahmanian concluded.
Cek Berita dan Artikel yang lain di Google News
FOLLOW US
Ikuti media sosial medcom.id dan dapatkan berbagai keuntungan
