Submitted by crinadmin on
FOR REFUGEE CHILDREN HIDE AND SEEK ISN'T A GAME
"It was something like an accident when I ran away from my
village. We were playing at about 5 o'clock when these people,
the soldiers came. We just ran. We didn't know where we were
going to, we just ran. I didn't see the soldiers, I just heard the
shooting, the screaming and the bombing that went DUM DUM
DUM DUM like this and killed many people. It all just happened,
like an accident, and we ran without anything - nothing - no food,
no clothes, nothing."
A 14-year-old Sudanese refugee, quoted in One Day We Had To
Run, (Sybella Wilkes in association with UNHCR and Save the
Children)
MORE THAN 52% OF THE WORLD'S REFUGEES ARE CHILDREN.
Over 7.5 million children in the world are refugees. Many millions
of the 25 million internally displaced people in the world are
children.
These children play the same games, have the same hopes and
fears as any other child you might know. The difference is they
have no home and no security. Some may not know where their
parents are, or their parents may have been killed.
Refugee children have the same rights as all children. They
should be given special protection and assistance.
Refugee and internally displaced children in camps may be
particularly vulnerable. Many camps do not have adequate food
and medical supplies. Children may be at risk of exploitation -
including sexual violence and recruitment into armed forces.
Children seeking asylum have the right to a fair determination
procedure which takes their best interests into account. They
have the right to liberty. They have the right to protection and
care. Unaccompanied children have the right to a guardian and to
be reunited with their families.
Unfortunately, many countries which receive refugees don't
recognize these rights; they don't implement special procedures
for children, or give asylum seekers access to welfare. Some
countries even detain refugee children with convicted criminals.
REFUGEE CHILDREN ARE EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY
Refugee children rely on the help of the international community:
to offer them a safe refuge until they can go home; to respect
their rights as asylum seekers; to give them protection, food and
aid in refugee camps.
Most importantly, they rely on others to speak out against the
human rights violations that have caused them to become
refugees in the first place.
"When we arrived in Mombasa [by boat] we had to wait to be
allowed into the country. It was terrible. I know that nobody
wants refugees, but do they know that we don't want to be
refugees?"
A 14-year-old Somali refugee, quoted in One Day We Had To Run,
Sybella Wilkes with UNHCR and Save the Children
There are three main international standards governing the
situation of child refugees.
The 1951 UN Convention and 1967 Protocol on the Status of
Refugees
* Guarantees the right to seek asylum.
* Safeguards the right of refugees not to be returned to a
country where they may face serious human rights violations.
* Safeguards the fundamental rights of refugees regarding
education, social security, freedom of movement, and access to
courts.
These standards apply to children in the same way as adults.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989
* Guarantees the basic rights of all children, without
discrimination, ensuring that they live in freedom, dignity and
security.
* States that special protection is to be given to refugee
children,and that reunification of children with their families
should be a priority.
The Convention has been ratified by almost every country in the
world.
UNHCR Guidelines on Refugee Children 1994
* Recommend that when deciding on refugee status for
unaccompanied children, a 'liberal application of the benefit of
doubt' should be used.
* Provide practical guidance on issues relating to culture, well-
being, personal liberty and security, and education.
What You Can Do...
* Join AI's campaign. Contact the Amnesty International office in
your country and ask how you can help.
* Help raise awareness about refugees and the specific needs of
child
refugees. Inform people of the human rights violations which
cause
children to flee their homes.
* Urge your government to act. Find out if it has agreed to be
bound
by, and is honouring, the international treaties protecting child
refugees.
* Show solidarity with refugees. Support refugee children who
are at
risk of being forcibly returned.
----------------------------------
Imagine how terrifying it must be.
Hamid, an African boy, was 16 when his father was arrested and
his
mother killed. All alone, he knew he had to flee. Anywhere.
He stowed away on a boat destined for Germany. When he was
discovered by members of the crew, he was beaten and tied up.
He was rejected - without a chance to make an asylum claim - by
officials first in Germany, then Belgium, Italy and Indonesia. He
finally found himself in Australia, where he was immediately put
into detention, although he had committed no crime.
He was released after being granted refugee protection.