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According to Article One of the 1951 Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee
is a person who “owing to a well-founded
fear of being persecuted for reasons of race,
religion, nationality, membership of a particular
social group or political opinion is outside the
country of his [her] nationality and is unable
or… is unwilling to avail himself [herself]
of the protection of that country.”[1] Internally-displaced
persons have had to flee their homes and cities
of residence in order to avoid the effects of
armed conflict, situations of generalized violence,
violations of human rights or natural or human-made
disasters. Internally-displaced persons, by definition,
have not crossed an internationally recognized
state border.[2]
There are approximately 20.5 million people worldwide
who the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
classifies as refugees and another 25 million
classified as internally-displaced (people of
concern). These individuals are in more than 50
countries worldwide, and the demographic breakdown
of refugees (protected under UNHCR mandate –
1951 Refugee Convention) is as follows: Asia,
9.4 million; Europe, 4.4 million; Africa, 4.6
million; North America, 1.1 million; and Latin
America and the Caribbean, 1 million.[3] In these
areas, refugees are driven from their countries
by war, civil conflict and political strife. A
list of the ten largest groups and origins of
major refugee populations in 2002 are as follows:
Afghanistan, 2,481,000; Burundi, 574,000; Sudan,
505,000; Angola, 433,000; Somalia, 429,000; Democratic
Republic of Congo, 415,000; Iraq, 401,000; Bosnia,
372,000; Vietnam, 348,000; and Eritrea, 316,000.[4]
Children under the age of 18 make up 45 percent
of the worldwide refugee population.[5] According
to the UNHCR, nearly 25 million children are currently
displaced from their homes as refugees, asylees,
or internally-displaced children.
People may become internally-displaced persons
or refugees because they are persecuted due to
their race, religion, nationality, membership
of a particular social group or political opinion.
Children are especially vulnerable because they
depend on the protection of their parents or guardians
from whom they are often separated during moves,
in large refugee camps, or while being held in
detention camps. Many who flee their homes are
evading civil wars, ethnic, tribal and religious
violence. Children and their families become caught
in conflicts between governments and rebels or
opposition groups. Refugees flee to neighboring
countries; internally-displaced people flee their
homes but remain in their respective countries.[6]
About half of the world's refugees are children
and adolescents. Whereas children experience many
types of abuse as refugees and internally-displaced
people, research shows that adolescents affected
by armed conflict are more likely than younger
children to be victimized and to lack support.[7]
They are in danger of being exploited in the worst
forms of child labor and often are denied basic
education and protection. These youth often are
abused physically and become victims of sexual
violence and exploitation. Both boys and girls
are at risk of being recruited into armed forces
as combatants and forced laborers. Child soldiers
are forced to kill, serve as sexual slaves, absorb
the first wave of attacks, and commit atrocities
against their own community. Children are also
highly vulnerable to cross-border attacks. These
children are extremely vulnerable.
The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of
Refugees - considered the main international instrument
of refugee law - clearly defines the term “refugee”
and explains refugee rights. Further, the Convention
establishes the internationally recognized obligation
of non-refoulement – a country shall not
return a refugee to the country from which they
flee until their safety can be assured.[8] Article
14 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human
Rights states that everyone has the right to seek
and to enjoy asylum from persecution in countries
outside his/her homeland.[9]
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees names six
primary protection concerns for refugee and internally-displaced
children:
• Often refugee and internally-displaced
children do not have access to education, a fundamental
human right of all children.
• Separation of children from their
families occurs frequently when families are fleeing
from conflicts. Separation from families and caregivers
increases a child's risk of military recruitment,
sexual violence, exploitation and abuse, and forced
labor.[10]
• Sexual exploitation, especially for
adolescent girls, occurs because children become
more vulnerable to sexual (and other) abuses when
they are displaced from their homes and their
state has weak legal systems and ineffective police
enforcement. Children who are sexually abused
are at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, as well as
other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Military recruitment of children
is common in politically unstable areas; militaries
conscribe or press-gang children, or the children
join so that their families will be protected.
• The detention of asylum-seeking children
occurs in many countries around the world. Many
of these children become psychologically affected
when they are held in prisons and detention facilities
alongside adults, including convicted criminals.
Girls seeking asylum are the most vulnerable as
they are discriminated against for both their
age and sex.
• Finally, registration and documentation,
such as birth certificates, are important tools
for refugee children to avoid military recruitment
and to help guarantee their basic rights.
Many organizations are dedicated to helping child
refugees and internally-displaced children through
education, advocacy, and outreach. UNHCR works
closely with UNICEF and other UN agencies, as
well as with NGOs like the International Save
the Children Alliance, to protect refugee and
internally-displaced children. UNHCR, UNICEF,
and Save the Children initiated the Action for
the Rights of Children (ARC), a training and capacity-building
program for NGO partners, governments, and UNHCR
staff. Through ARC, they hope to build regional
teams that are equipped to help children in the
specific country/region to which they are assigned.
In the last five decades, UNHCR has helped 50
million people restart their lives.
Another program, the Children and Adolescents
Project, was launched by the Women's Commission
for Refugee Women and Children in 1999 to increase
services and protection for refugee adolescents,
to promote their capacities and participation
in decision-making, and to encourage action. The
Women's Commission implemented youth-led research
in which youth themselves identified the issues
most concerning to them and provided youth-based
solutions.[11] The International Rescue Committee's
Post-Conflict Development Initiative was created
in 2002 to support communities in conflict and
countries in transition. Some of the program areas
focus on good governance, civil society and community
reconstruction.[12] RESPECT, the Refugee Education
Sponsorship Program, is committed to raising awareness
among international youth about refugees and refugee
issues, and encouraging activism and exchange
among youth.[13]
You can help increase awareness of the plight
of refugee and internally-displaced children by
learning more about the topic and sharing the
information with your friends and community. Organizations
like Youth Advocate Program International and
our partners can help provide information and
help you find opportunities to get involved in
the struggle to help protect and advocate for
refugee and internally-displaced children worldwide.
[1] http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/basics
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] “Refugee Children,” Global Consultations
on International Protection – Fourth Meeting.
25 April 2002
[6] http://www.unhcr.ch/
[7] http://www.womenscommission.org
[8] http://www.unhcr.ch/
[9] Ibid
[10] “Summary Note on UNHCR's Strategy and
Activities concerning Refugee Children”
[11] http://www.womenscommission.org/
[12] http://www.theirc.org/index.cfm
[13] http://www.respectrefugees.org/
Ellen Jorgensen, Acting Director, Women's Commission
for Refugee Women and Children
Rachel O'Hara, Program Officer, the Immigration
and Refugee Services of America
©
copyright - Youth Advocate Program International
2003-04
Last updated 7/8/2004
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