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Children's Day: Childhood is beyond borders

All over the world children stand the important part of forcibly displaced population. As UNICEF, a United Nations Agency, states “in 2019, around 33 million children were living outside of their country of birth. In total, at the end of 2018 over 31 million children were living in forced displacement due to violence and conflict within their own country or abroad.


This includes some 13 million child refugees, around 1 million asylum-seeking children, and an estimated 17 million children displaced within their own countries. It is estimated that around 3.7 million child refugees live in camps or collective centers”. Children seek protection fleeing homes with families or by themselves. In 2019 almost 14.000 asylum-seekers in the  EU member states were unaccompanied minors. 

Finding new home, children bravely face challenges in learning new languages and coping with compulsory subjects of the school curriculum, they find new friends and realize dreams. Giving examples of inspiring histories and achievements they teach us diversity and openness to others. But what they need from stakeholders is to listen and take into account their needs. 
On the occasion of Children's Day, with all children who  lives in forced displacement, NIEM stands for:
•    Protection of the rights of children on the move;
•    For access to their new homes where they will be safe and secure;  
•    For access to appropriate medical and  psychological assistance to guaranty them wellbeing;  
•    For access to education and assistance that allow them fully develop their talents;  
•    For integration policies and programs that  respect and respond to their needs;
•    For ability of each refugee children to make her or his dreams come true. 

Kseniya Homel 
NIEM’s National Advocacy Officer
The European and Migration Policy Programme
Institute of Public Affairs

Resources: 
Refugee Children: Guidelines on Protection and Care, https://www.unhcr.org/3b84c6c67.pdf 
Child migration. April 2020, https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-migration-and-displacement/migration/ 
Eurostat Newsrelease Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10774034/3-28042020-AP-EN.pdf/03c694ba-9a9b-1a50-c9f4-29db665221a8, [28.04.2020].