As the UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti, we conduct research to inform policymaking and implementation. This project brief summarizes our research on children, migration, and displacement.

1. PROJECT BRIEF
Children,
Migration
and Displacement
How does mobility affect
the well-being of children
and young people?
©
UNICEF/UN0418424/Ayene

2. Overview
Globally, the number of children and young
people engaged in migration is dramatically
increasing. Meeting their needs through age- and
gender-sensitive responses has become one of
the international community’s greatest challenges.
Traditional approaches to manage migration and
displacement remain largely child-blind.The need
for a better understanding of how mobility affects
children’s well-being – including how gender
dynamics produce different risks and opportu-
nities in the early years through to adolescence;
how to create effective and durable solutions; and
how to build upon the tremendous agency and
resilience of child and young migrants – has never
been more urgent.
Approach
UNICEF Innocenti is committed to building the
evidence base on effective strategies to protect
the rights of children and young people who
migrate or are displaced through interdisciplinary
mixed methods research.The work is structured
across three pillars: (1) understanding decision
making and experiences of children moving
unaccompanied, with families or others; (2)
protection and well-being during transit; and (3)
durable solutions for child migrant integration
or resettlement.This research is informed by a
commitment to gender analysis within a broader
child rights approach. Findings will be disaggre-
gated to account for the distinct experiences
of children and young people in marginalized
circumstances, including those living in humanita-
rian contexts; engaged in labour; and children
living with disabilities.
Goal
Innocenti’s goal is to generate evidence on the
drivers of child migration and displacement;
develop deeper understanding of how mobility
intersects with other domains of child rights,
well-being and protection; and assess the effecti-
veness of specific strategies in both reducing
vulnerabilities and supporting the aspirations of
children and young people engaged in migration.
Project Highlights
PROJECT BRIEF
Contact Info
Josiah Kaplan
Child Protection Specialist
jkaplan@unicef.org
Reimagining Migration
Responses: Learning from
children and young people who
move in the Horn of Africa (2021)
A new report captures the experi-
ences of 1,290 migrant children
and youth in Ethiopia, Somalia
and Sudan. Migration is a coping
strategy for young people across
the Horn of Africa, for a variety of
reasons – from safety to pursuing
job prospects.This study
documents the real experiences
of those who move in the region.
It provides recommendations
on rethinking child protection
approaches for child and young
migrants in the region for
governments, international and
national civil society organiza-
tions, donors and others.
Ramya Subrahmanian
Chief, Research on Child Rights and Protection
rsubrahmanian@unicef.org
Child andYouth Return and
Reintegration in Afghanistan
(2021–2023)
This new mixed-methods study
will generate evidence on the
experience of child return and
reintegration in Afghanistan,
drawing from legal and policy
analysis; services mapping; and
engaging with the voices and
experiences of child and youth
returnees themselves. Findings
will inform programming and
advocacy efforts in support of
child migrant returnees and their
families, while also contributing to
wider knowledge.The study will
deliver a strong gender-focused
analysis of return and reintegra-
tion challenges and opportunities
facing child and young people
returnees in Afghanistan.
Joint Displacement Center
Digest on Child andYouth
Migration
A UNICEF Innocenti edited issue
of the UNHCR-World Bank Joint
Displacement Centre Quarterly
Digest spotlights recent data-
driven contributions to the
emerging literature on child and
youth forced displacement.These
contributions focus on mental
health risks faced by forcibly
displaced children; evidence
from existing evaluations and
assessments on ‘what works’; and
the emerging use of technological
innovations for the sourcing and
management of child migration
and displacement data.