ROMA – According to the data of theUNHCRthere are 36.4 million refugees worldwide as of mid-2023; 62.5 million internally displaced people due to conflicts. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the volume of internal displacement is around 2 million people. Children now represent one in four migrants across Latin America and the Caribbean. “And just like all children, they have the right to be protected and to be with their families,” says Karin Hulshof, Regional Director of theUNICEF for Latin America and the Caribbean. Families on the move in the region have had no choice but to leave their homes due to high levels of inequality, poverty and violence, exacerbated by disasters and extreme weather events, according to a report by the United Nations agency for international humanitarian assistance. During their journey, they traverse treacherous terrain and are exposed to life-threatening situations.
The right of children to be with their families. “Regardless of their migration status and where they are, children have the right to be with their family or caregivers,” UNICEF said, “as set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.” Governments are also reminded of their obligation to ensure that border and reception procedures do not result in the deliberate or involuntary separation of families. This only adds a further layer of stress and trauma to their lives.
Child-friendly assessment processes. Whether traveling with their family or alone, migrant and refugee children have the right to an assessment process appropriate to their best interests, in order to identify sustainable solutions, including further integration and settlement in their country of current residence, repatriation to their country of origin or resettlement in a third country. They also have the right to seek asylum and not to be returned to places where their life or well-being are at risk.
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– 2024-09-12 18:58:16
