More children than ever before live as migrants or refugees, outside their birth countries – UNICEF

The report, Uncertain Pathways, found that implicit the people of the year, determination were astir 15 cardinal caller displacements oregon 41,000 each day, and that boys outnumber girls.

‘Gender skews’ routes and experiences

Gender plays a pivotal relation successful a child's determination to permission location and continues to signifier their experiences and vulnerabilities passim their journey, the study revealed.

Today “close to 60 cardinal girls and boys person migrated crossed borders oregon been forcibly displaced wrong their ain countries”, said Verena Knaus, UNICEF’s Global Lead for Migration and Displacement, who was speaking successful Geneva astatine the study launch.

She pointed retired that the fig jumped astir 10 cardinal much than 2015, erstwhile UNICEF published the study Children Uprooted.

Ms. Knaus stated that portion determination is overmuch argumentation statement implicit labels specified arsenic whether a kid is simply a migrant oregon a refugee, “we cognize amazingly small astir however migration and formation is experienced otherwise by gender”.

“Gender skews definite migration routes and experiences”, she said, pointing retired that successful 2020, “nine successful 10 unaccompanied children seeking asylum successful Europe were boys”, much than fractional of whom came from Afghanistan, Morocco and Syria.

She noted that Afghanistan is fig 1 connected the database of the apical 10 countries of root – with the largest fig of unaccompanied children seeking asylum successful Europe.

While we cognize that galore much Afghan boys person migrated crossed borders than girls, the UNICEF authoritative highlighted the sex imbalance.

“Where are the Afghan girls? Where and however tin Afghan girls question planetary protection, contiguous and successful the future?”, she said.

Gendered migration-specific risks

The study besides describes however migration determination making is gendered.

Ms. Knaus said that girls and boys whitethorn beryllium motivated to determination for antithetic reasons, “boys are often expected to presume the relation of breadstuff winner, portion girls whitethorn migrate arsenic a strategy to hold aboriginal matrimony oregon conflict-related intersexual violence”.

Migration-specific risks are besides gendered with girls outnumbering boys by 4 to 3 arsenic victims of trafficking for intersexual exploitation, portion boys are often trafficked for forced labour.

The study highlights however existing sex gaps successful acquisition are further exacerbated successful humanitarian settings, with displaced girls much apt to beryllium retired of schoolhouse than boys.

“In campy settings, girls are 2.5 times much apt to beryllium retired of schoolhouse than boys”, said Ms. Knaus. 

Address ‘blind spots’

The study calls for Governments to code “blind spots'' done greater coordination and concern successful gender-specific data, disaggregation and standardization.

It besides urges a determination distant from one-size-fits-all approaches and to prioritize interventions that are tailored to gender-specific risks, needs and drivers of children connected the move.

The effect indispensable not conscionable beryllium “gender-responsive but “gender transformative” to code the profoundly ingrained inequalities betwixt girls and boys erstwhile it comes to entree to planetary extortion and the opportunities that migration offers, the UNICEF authoritative said.

IOM Guatemala/Melissa Vega

Teenagers astatine Casa Nuestras Raíces, 1 of 2 shelters tally by the Guatemalan Ministry of Social Welfare.