Children Affected by Armed Conflict and Displacement

Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of war, and frequently represent at least half of the population in a conflict area. They suffer fear and insecurity, and disruption to every aspect of their lives. Children who have been displaced are at an increased risk of sexual and physical violence, disease and malnutrition, and separation from family members. As displaced persons or refugees they may experience severe poverty, abuse, exploitation, and psychosocial distress.

Children without parental care in conflict areas are highly vulnerable to abduction or other forms of recruitment by armed forces and groups. Such children may be used to fight, provide labour or be sexually exploited. Involvement in conflict may result in malnutrition, abuse, addiction to drugs, injury, psychosocial distress or death. While children associated with armed forces and groups make up a small minority of the total number of children affected by war, they are extremely vulnerable and in need of particular protection and care.

Opportunities to help children who have been associated with fighting forces may begin with their escape, capture or formal demobilization. Some may be able immediately to reunite with family members, but others may need interim care during tracing. While children may be readily accepted by their family and community, others risk rejection. Family mediation and community sensitization is needed to support family reunification and community integration. Ongoing monitoring, family support services, and placement planning is necessary where children are not reunited with one or both parents or where family and community acceptance is uncertain.

Community action to protect and support war affected children should be inclusive and not limited to children formally associated with armed forces or any one group of children. National efforts should focus on the reestablishment of essential services, particularly in the areas of security, health and education.

While this section contains resources relevant for all children in conflict affected areas, it focuses on children without parental care, including refugees and displaced children, and children associated with armed forces and groups. It includes information on demobilisation, family reunification and community reintegration.

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Care for Unaccompanied Children in Croatia: The Roles and Experiences of Special Guardians

Drago Župarić-Iljić & Dubravka Mlinarić - Revija Za Sociologiju, 2018

Special guardians have been tasked with safeguarding the rights of unaccompanied minors in Croatia and providing general assistance within the system of care during their stay and/or during the status recognition procedure. The authors of this study discussed the experiences of practitioners in the field and some of the most important challenges they are facing within the special guardianship system.

Separación Traumática, Niños Migrantes y Refugiados: Consejos para Padres, Cuidadores Primarios y Proveedores

National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2018

Este recurso proporciona consejos para los cuidadores y otros para ayudar a abordar las necesidades de los niños inmigrantes y refugiados que han experimentado la separación traumática.

Promoting the Social Inclusion of Migrant Children and Young People: The duty of social services

Valentina Guerra, David Brindle - The European Social Network, 2018

This report aims to address some common and key themes emerging from a questionnaire and in-person meeting to discuss the role of the social service workforce in the inclusion of migrant children and young people.

Mutual Benefits: The Lessons Learned from a Community-Based Participatory Research Project with Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and Foster Carers

Justin Rogers, Sam Carr, Caroline Hickman - Children and Youth Services Review, 2018

This paper presents a community based participatory research project, which adopted a photovoice approach with seven unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) living in foster care in the United Kingdom.

The War on Children: Time to end grave violations against children in conflict

Save the Children, 2018

This report from Save the Children identifies concerning trends for the safety and wellbeing of children living in areas impacted by conflict, through analysis of the United Nations Annual Reports of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) and new research by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

Best Practices in the Reception of Unaccompanied Minors in Italy

Nicoletta Pavesi and Giovanni Giulio Valtolina - The Twenty-third Italian Report on Migrations 2017, 2018

In this chapter from the The Twenty-third Italian Report on Migrations 2017, the authors provide a picture of the presences and characteristics of the unaccompanied minors present in the EU countries, and in particular in Italy, to then illustrate the main innovations introduced by law 47, approved on 7 April 2017.

Key Points: Traumatic Separation and Refugee and Immigrant Children

National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2018

This resource from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides key points related to traumatic separation and immigrant and refugee children, adapted from the NCTSN fact sheet Children with Traumatic Separation: Information for Professionals.

Global Report on Trafficking in Persons

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2018

This Global Report on Trafficking in Persons describes human trafficking on a global scale, including the incidences of child trafficking per region and country.

Measuring Impact Through A Child Protection Index: Time 1 & Time 2 Studies Kiryandongo and Adjumani refugee settlements, Uganda

Sarah Meyer, Sabrina Hermosilla, Lindsay Stark - UNHCR, the CPC Learning Network, and TPO Uganda, 2018

This report describes the research conducted in 2016 in Kiryandongo and Adjumani refugee settlements in Uganda, presenting a comparison of child protection system strength between 2014/5 and 2016, and child protection outcomes over the same time period.

Balkans Migration and Displacement Hub Data and Trend Analysis: Regional overview (October-December 2018)

Save the Children in North West Balkans, 2018

Data and Trend Analysis (DATA) Refugees and Migrants at the Western Balkans Route Regional Overview, covering period October - December 2018, describes key trends in migrations in the region, detailing information about the number of people on the move, demography (age, sex, country of origin, etc), behavioral patterns, and routes in use - with a focus on children, particularly unaccompanied children. Data in this report includes key trends in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia.