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Children

Almost half the people of concern to UNHCR are children. They need special care.

Children in the News Rss FeedChildren in the News

more documents

Children

Other Children's Organizations

Refugee Children and Education

Education is a fundamental right of the child, one that is vital in restoring hope and dignity.

Refugee Children: Escape from Persecution and War

This brochure is designed for young readers.

Refworld – Children

Refworld – Children

This Special Feature on Child Protection is a comprehensive source of relevant legal and policy documents, practical tools and links to related websites.

United Nations Children's Fund

Violence against Children of Concern to UNHCR Rss FeedViolence against Children of Concern to UNHCR

more documents

Save the Children Online Library on Child Protection Issues

Sharjah Conference on Refugee Children

Hundreds of delegates gathered in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates for landmark conference on children.

Action for the Rights of Children (ARC)

Read about the ARC resource pack on the Save the Children website.

Framework for the Protection of Children

UNHCR's 5 Priorities for Refugee Children

Amin's Escape. From 'Refugee Children: Escape from Persecution and War', pp. 8-13

An illustrated story about a ten-year old refugee boy from Kabul, Afghanistan.

Sharjah Conference on Refugee Children

Action for the Rights of Children (ARC): Critical Issues - Child Soldiers

Briefing notes for facilitators, training materials, resources.

Summary Note UNHCR's Strategy and Activities concerning Refugee Children

ninemillion.org

An internet-based campaign to give millions of refugee children access to education, sport and technology. By supporting this programme, you can help refugee children enjoy their youth and give them an education that will improve their future chances.

The International Protection of Unaccompanied or Separated Children along the Southern Border of Mexico 2006-2008

Published by the UNHCR Regional Office for Mexico, Cuba and Central America, October 2008

Educate A Child

Providing primary education to 176,000 refugee children in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

UNHCR, Options Paper 1: Options for governments on care arrangements and alternatives to detention for children and families, 2015

Lady Antebellum

The popular American country music trio are working with UNHCR to help refugee children.

More information on Detention

US$1000

US$1000

Provides a therapeutic feeding kit, which helps feed 100 children.

Related Internet Links on Infant Feeding

Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights

Twenty-seven countries worldwide continue to discriminate against women in their ability to confer their nationality on their children on an equal basis with men (external link).

People with disabilities

Between 2.3 and 3.3 million of the world's forcibly displaced people live with disabilities, one third of them children.

Educate a child

Educate a Child (EAC), a programme in partnership with the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), has enabled over 400,000 out-of-school refugee children to access primary school in 12 countries since 2012.

Summary update of Machel study follow-up activities in 2001-2002

"Adults go to war, but they don't realize what damage they are doing to children." - A Nicaraguan child

Nothing but Nets

A grassroots campaign run by the UN Foundation to combat malaria by distributing tens of thousands of specially treated mosquito nets. Malaria is a leading killer of children in Africa.

Refworld - Best Interests Principle in Europe

Refworld - Best Interests Principle in Europe

Special Feature on ensuring respect for the best interests of unaccompanied and separated children.

Teaching About Refugees, History

History includes refugees

Throughout history, political turmoil has victimized many civilian families, forcing them to flee their homes. Refugee outflows and other massive displacements of people are a key aspect of many international crises. For children, in particular, looking at world events from the point of view of a refugee family can give new meaning and a sense of reality to events that may otherwise seem abstract and far away. The theme can be introduced in:

Medieval/early modern history: The religious wars.

Contemporary history: World War I, the Russian Revolution, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Second World War and Nazism, colonization and decolonization in Africa, Soviet influence in Central and Eastern Europe, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Vietnam War, the dictatorships in Latin-America - all these events and many more have victimized millions of people and forced them to flee their homes, families and communities.


9-11 year olds Refugees in History
12-14 year olds The Rwandan Crisis 1994
15-18 year olds Population Displacement in the Commonwealth of Independent States

2009 Dialogue: Related Themes

The following links are intended to enable participants to understand and navigate through the complex topic of challenges to persons of concern in cities and urban settings.

Teaching About Refugees, Civic Education

Refugees are a painful living reminder of the failure of societies to exist in peace. People should be able to lead productive and independent lives in their home communities. Sadly, they are sometimes forced to flee because of abuse, violations of their rights and various forms of social breakdown, including war. These issues are linked to concepts such as justice, equality, tolerance, freedom, minority rights and the formation of community. Refugees can be the subject of work units on human rights, nationalism, racism, immigration, persecution and war.


9-11 year olds Refugee Children
12-14 year olds Refugee Teenagers
15-18 year olds Refugee Women

Teaching About Refugees, Language & Literature

Refugees contribute to the culture of their host community. Some are well-known artists, painters, poets or novelists. Dante Alighieri created the major part of his work during his exile. Playwright Bertold Brecht, authors Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka, poets Pablo Neruda and Jorge Semprun, musician Miguel Angel Estrellas, painters Lucian Freud and Remedios Varo - all suffered periods of exile which, in some cases, deeply colored their work. The theme of exile can be studied in literature, the history of music and art. Texts addressing refugee issues can also be used in language courses.

9-11 year olds Refugee Children
12-14 year olds The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
15-18 year olds The Depiction of Refugee Experience in Literature

Related Internet Links on Reproductive Health

Further information on reproductive health can be found on the following websites (external links)

Teaching About Refugees, Art

Refugees contribute to the culture of their host community. Some are well-known artists, painters, poets or novelists. Dante Alighieri created the major part of his work during his exile. Playwright Bertold Brecht, authors Thomas Mann and Franz Kafka, poets Pablo Neruda and Jorge Semprun, musician Miguel Angel Estrellas, painters Lucian Freud and Remedios Varo - all suffered periods of exile which, in some cases, deeply colored their work. The theme of exile can be studied in literature, the history of music and art.


9-11 year olds A Response Through Artwork
12-14 year olds Repatriation and Graphic Communication
15-18 year olds Art in Nazi Germany - When Art and Politics didn't Agree

Iraqi Children Go To School in Syria

UNHCR aims to help 25,000 refugee children go to school in Syria by providing financial assistance to families and donating school uniforms and supplies.

There are some 1.4 million Iraqi refugees living in Syria, most having fled the extreme sectarian violence sparked by the bombing of the Golden Mosque of Samarra in 2006.

Many Iraqi refugee parents regard education as a top priority, equal in importance to security. While in Iraq, violence and displacement made it difficult for refugee children to attend school with any regularity and many fell behind. Although education is free in Syria, fees associated with uniforms, supplies and transportation make attending school impossible. And far too many refugee children have to work to support their families instead of attending school.

To encourage poor Iraqi families to register their children, UNHCR plans to provide financial assistance to at least 25,000 school-age children, and to provide uniforms, books and school supplies to Iraqi refugees registered with UNHCR. The agency will also advise refugees of their right to send their children to school, and will support NGO programmes for working children.

UNHCR's ninemillion campaign aims to provide a healthy and safe learning environment for nine million refugee children by 2010.

Iraqi Children Go To School in Syria

The Children of Harmanli Face a Bleak Winter

Since the Syrian crisis began in March 2011, more than 2 million people have fled the violence. Many have made their way to European Union countries, finding sanctuary in places like Germany and Sweden. Others are venturing into Europe by way of Bulgaria, where the authorities struggle to accommodate and care for some 8,000 asylum-seekers, many of whom are Syrian. More than 1,000 of these desperate people, including 300 children, languish in an overcrowded camp in the town of Harmanli, 50 kilometres from the Turkish-Bulgarian border. These people crossed the border in the hope of starting a new life in Europe. Some have travelled in family groups; many have come alone with dreams of reuniting in Europe with loved ones; and still others are unaccompanied children. The sheer number of people in Harmanli is taxing the ability of officials to process them, let alone shelter and feed them. This photo essay explores the daily challenges of life in Harmanli.

The Children of Harmanli Face a Bleak Winter

Erbil's Children: Syrian Refugees in Urban Iraq

Some of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees are children who have sought shelter in urban areas with their families. Unlike those in camps, refugees living in towns and cities in countries like Iraq, Turkey and Jordan often find it difficult to gain access to aid and protection. In a refugee camp, it is easier for humanitarian aid organizations such as UNHCR to provide shelter and regular assistance, including food, health care and education. Finding refugees in urban areas, let alone helping them, is no easy task.

In Iraq, about 100,000 of the 143,000 Syrian refugees are believed to be living in urban areas - some 40 per cent of them are children aged under 18 years. The following photographs, taken in the northern city of Erbil by Brian Sokol, give a glimpse into the lives of some of these young urban refugees. They show the harshness of daily life as well as the resilience, adaptability and spirit of young people whose lives have been overturned in the past two years.

Life is difficult in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The cost of living is high and it is difficult to find work. The refugees must also spend a large part of their limited resources on rent. UNHCR and its partners, including the Kurdish Regional Government, struggle to help the needy.

Erbil's Children: Syrian Refugees in Urban Iraq

Za'atari oldest manPlay video

Za'atari oldest man

At 113, Yousef is a very old man. Until conflict forced him to flee Syria two years ago, his life was spent peacefully with his farm, his shop, his three children and 160 descendants nearby. Now, he is perhaps the oldest resident of Za'aatri refugee camp in Jordan. "He was sad when we told him we wanted to leave," says his daughter Nejmeh. "He tells me he wants to go back to Syria…He made me promise, if he dies, to bury him in Syria."
South Sudan: A Long Walk in Search of Safety Play video

South Sudan: A Long Walk in Search of Safety

Years of fighting between Sudan and rebel forces have sent more than 240,000 people fleeing to neighbouring South Sudan, a country embroiled in its own conflict. After weeks on foot, Amal Bakith and her five children are settling in at Ajoung Thok refugee camp where they receive food, shelter, access to education and land.
Christmas tree a gift of love for refugees in GreecePlay video

Christmas tree a gift of love for refugees in Greece

For children spending Christmas at the Idomeni refugee reception centre in northern Greece, Congolese asylum seeker Michel Kamusha has "a gift of love." Drawing on his skills as an artist he decorates a Christmas with tree with socks, toys, shoes and clothes to give the youngsters "hope for Christmas."