Workshop on Independent Child Migrants: Policy debates and dilemmas

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Summary: Organised by the Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty, University of Sussex and UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre

This report is based on the contributions from the speakers at the Workshop on Independent Child Migrants: Policy Debates and Dilemmas which took place on 12th September 2007, at Central Hall, Westminster, London. The Conference was organised by The Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty and UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, with additional funding from The Department for International Development and the Nordic Africa Institute.

The objective of the workshop was to stimulate debates and research on independent child migrants, to provide an opportunity for researchers and policy makers to exchange views on the independent migration of children and to identify gaps in evidence required to formulate policies.

Independent child migration is the migration of children who are not refugees and are not coerced or tricked into moving by third persons, it is often carried out with the aim of seeking work or education. These children need a higher profile in policymaking.  Currently there is a very narrow policy space in which to develop recommendations and little evidence and research exists for detailed policy formulation.

  • Child migration is a relatively new area in academic and policy debates, it is a diverse phenomenon and there are many gaps in our knowledge and understanding.
  • The policy space on independent child migration needs widening and there is a need for policy makers to design policies that create a more protective environment for migrant children
  • In thinking about children’s agency, and their capacities as thinkers and doers, we should avoid considering them either solely as ‘romantic heroes’ or as ‘passive victims.’
  • The way in which we view children’s agency affects the labels we use to describe child migrants (for example, as independent, unaccompanied, or voluntary), the ways in which we understand children’s engagement in decision-making, and how we evaluate the risks in children’s migration from a parental setting.
  • The various structures, contexts and relationships that influence agency also relate to children’s vulnerability and child-related vulnerability factors include age, social capital and work destination.

pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/Workshop_report_ICM_September2007.pdf

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http://www.crin.org/docs/Workshop_report_ICM_September2007.pdf

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