Migrant and displaced children are at heightened risk to the immediate and secondary impacts of COVID-19. They often live in cramped conditions with limited access to WASH, may be in immigration detention, and can be hardest to reach with accurate information in a language they understand. Children of labour migrants often live in the most disadvantaged urban areas, where access to essential services is already limited. Further, the misinformation on the spread of COVID-19 exacerbates the xenophobia and discrimination that migrant and displaced children and their families already face.
This brief from UNICEF outlines the urgent action needed to put migrant and displaced children at the forefront of UNICEF’s preparedness, prevention and response to COVID19 – to ensure health, safety, and protection for all.