Children and Migration

Millions of children around the world are affected by migration.  This includes girls and boys who migrate within and between countries (usually with their families but sometimes on their own), as well as children ‘left behind’ when their parents or caregivers migrate in search of economic opportunities.  Be it forced or voluntary, by adults or children, migration affects children’s care situations and can entail risks to their protection.

Displaying 1 - 10 of 824

Emily Ruehs-Navarro (Ed), Lina Caswell Muñoz (Ed), Sarah Diaz (Ed),

This interdisciplinary work brings together voices from the legal realm, the academic world, and the on-the-ground experiences of activists and practitioners. At the heart of these narratives lies a crucial debate: the tension between harm-reduction strategies and abolition.

Mara Tissera Luna,

This Collaborative Insights report gathers perspectives on strengthening ECD efforts from Guatemalan grassroots practitioners, national social movements, community-based organizations, international non-governmental organizations, donors, and the Guatemalan government.

K Antia, J Račaitė, G Šurkienė, V Winkler,

Global migration is on the rise, and as a result, millions of children are left in their home countries while their parents migrate abroad. Little is known about the mental health of left-behind children (LBC) in Eastern Europe. The study addresses this research gap in Georgia, a leading migrant-sending country in the region.

Clara Sanz-Escutia, Laura Arnau-Sabatés, Josefina Sala-Roca ,

This article analyzes the experience of unaccompanied young migrants in the protection system of Catalonia (Spain) and their preparation for the transition to independent living. A survey with 90 unaccompanied migrant youths who were about to leave care was conducted.

Using data from the 2016 China Migrants Dynamic Survey and drawing on the theories of family migration, push-pull forces, and social capital, the authors compare migration patterns of minority and Han children in China. Results show minority children have a higher probability of joining migrant parents than Han children. However, this may not necessarily lead to more desirable outcomes.

This research analyzed key policies that affect unaccompanied children, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)'s foster care system in the United States, and the placement process and well-being outcomes.

International Organization for Migration (IOM),

This IOM report reveals that there are more than 700,000 people currently displaced within Haiti, 52% of whom are children. Haiti is experiencing an unprecedented crisis that has affected the entire population, including the many orphanages operating there.

Ulrike Bialas,

This study examined the categories that states use to classify and govern migrants. Unaccompanied minors and adult asylum seekers are treated very differently regarding their asylum cases and residence permits. The study focused on Germany, where the courts and youth welfare offices commission age assessments to decide whether young migrants will be considered minors or adults. These assessments are carried out by forensic medical examiners and social workers, respectively, who work with very different understandings of what constitutes age.

Kateryna Buchko, Irena L. C. Connon, Lena Dominelli ,

This study explores Ukrainian responses to internally displaced people during the first and second waves of war-induced displacement and internal migration in Ukraine, which took place after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and after the full-scale invasion of 2022. It also addresses the unique challenges faced by Ukrainian social work professionals in supporting displaced people, service people and their families, disabled veterans, and orphaned children as the war continues and also for resettlement in a post-war context.

Karen Jones-Mason, Vilma Reyes, Monica Noriega, Alicia F. Lieberman,

This paper addresses the consequences of child-parent separation at the U.S. southern border and offers suggestions for supporting these families including child-parent psychotherapy.