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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Community-based surveillance to monitor trends in unaccompanied and separated children in eastern DRC

Rubenstein BL, Spencer C, Mansourian H, Noble E, Munganga GB, and Stark L, 01 Dec 2015

A mobile phone-based community surveillance system was piloted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the goal of identifying new cases of unaccompanied and separated children on a weekly basis.

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Measuring Impact Through a Child Protection Index: Report of Uganda Baseline Study, Kiryandongo and Adjumani Refugee Settlements

UNHCR & the CPC Learning Network, 01 Sep 2015

The CPC Learning Network and UNHCR are collaborating to develop and test a Child Protection Index (CPI), a measure of strength of the child protection system in refugee settings, based on UNHCR’s Framework for the Protection of Children. This report details the results of the baseline study conducted from December 2014-February 2015 in Kiryandongo and Adjumani refugee settlements, Uganda.

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Protecting Children from Violence: A Comprehensive Evaluation of UNICEF’s Strategies and Programme Performance

UNICEF Evaluation Office, 01 Aug 2015

This report on Protecting Children from Violence: A Comprehensive Evaluation of UNICEF’s Strategies and Programme Performance was prepared by independent consultants to evaluate UNICEF's work on violence against children (VAC).

Country Care Review: Eritrea

Better Care Network, 08 Jun 2015

This country care review includes the care related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Children in Armed Conflict Accountability Framework

Julia Freedson, Yvonne Kemper, and Simar Singh - Conflict Dynamics International, 01 Jun 2015

This Framework is designed as a practical resource to promote accountability for serious violations of international law committed against children in armed conflict.

A model supporting research on children growing up in asylum systems

Robert Mooney, Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin, 01 May 2015

This paper examines the Irish national and international legislation governing asylum systems, provides an overview of the Irish Direct Provision system and suggests a model under which these cases may be analysed across different societal levels.

Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Refugee Children’s Forced Repatriation: Social Workers’ and Police Officers’ Health and Job Characteristics

Johanna Sundqvist, Jonas Hansson, Mehdi Ghazinour, Kenneth Ögren & Mojgan Padyab - Global Journal of Health Science, 16 Apr 2015

This study aimed to bridge the gap in knowledge of the relationship between general mental health and working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking refugee children who are due for forced repatriation for social workers and police officers in Sweden.

Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Refugee Children’s Forced Repatriation: Social Workers' and Police Officers’ Health and Job Characteristics | Sundqvist | Global Journal of Health Science

Unaccompanied Child Migration to the United States: The Tension between Protection and Prevention

Marc R. Rosenblum - Transatlantic Council on Migration , 01 Apr 2015

This report examines the policy challenge in the United States of balancing protection and immigration enforcement in the recent unaccompanied child migration “crisis” in the US.

Kinship Care Report: Syrian Refugee Children in Jordan

Save the Children , 01 Mar 2015

The overall objective of this research was to increase understanding of kinship care practices as experienced by Syrian refugee children and caregivers in Jordan, which can be used to inform programming and policy developments on children’s care and protection in a humanitarian context.

Humanitarian Protection for Children Fleeing Gang-Based Violence in the Americas

Elizabeth Carlson, Anna Marie Gallagher - Journal on Migration and Human Security, 2015

This paper provides an overview of the violence perpetrated by gangs and other criminal organizations in Mexico and Central America which compels many children to flee their communities. The paper also describes the US government’s obligations to protect unaccompanied children upon arrival, and good practices of other governments relating to the protection of child migrants and refugees.