About 80 million people across the globe including children have been forced from their homes as refugees or internally displaced people, 10 million of which were recorded in 2019 alone. This means that in almost every other minute, 20 people leave their families, friends, loved ones and everything they must have built behind in order to escape war, persecution and terror because of religion, race, political opinion or nationality etc.

According to UNHCR, Children under the age of 18 made up about half of the global refugee population in 2018. Most of these children were unaccompanied or separated from their parents making them particularly vulnerable and exposed to circumstances that can result in them being killed, kidnapped, orphaned, tortured, sexually abused, trafficked or recruited as soldiers or slaves or even left without their homes and remain mentally traumatized.

During 2018, 27,600 unaccompanied or separated children were reported as having applied for asylum. At the end of 2018, 111,000 such children were reported among the refugee population.

Millions of children are on the move, driven from their homes by conflict, poverty, climate change or the hope of finding a better life. But moving from home is not an easy thing and more often than not, many children are faced with very dangerous situations, deprivation and discrimination. Instead of the safety and love, they hoped for, children are faced with daily shocks of exclusion and unacceptance in communities or countries where they run to for shelter. They are sometimes left to a life of injustice, social inequalities and high possibilities of never being integrated into their new communities.

But children are just children, pure, innocent and full of love only asking for a chance to live, to dream and to hope. Sadly these remain just wishes and some children may never feel what is like to belong and be accepted if for nothing, as a human and a person in need of care. They may never have access to any education, proper medical care or basic essential needs.

The challenges and situations that uprooted children face may sadly have lifelong imprints on them, be it physically or psychologically inhibiting the chances of children to access their rights and to reach their full potentials and be responsible citizens.

For these reasons, there are special protection rights of the UN Children Rights Convention. Living in a state of peace is essential for a child’s wellbeing in every moment of their life.

Mainstream media has usually portrayed refugees and migrants as threats to the host communities, as people coming from poor countries to ‘steal’ the jobs or welfare benefits of citizens of the host countries while causing fear and social unrest.

This situation is highly unfair, unjust and unacceptable and we can’t just look on! A child is a child, no matter why she leaves home, where she comes from, where she is, or how she got there. Every child deserves protection, care and all the support and services she needs to thrive.

As a global movement working to empower children and young people to take an active role in society and fight for their rights we are deeply concerned with all the sufferings of refugees and migrant children. In IFM-SEI we believe that it is not refugees and migrants, who cause unrest and inequality, but the current system is not willing to support other human beings and governments who are unable to express solidarity, especially during crises times such as the current coronavirus.

As per the theme for this year’s World Refugee Day, we ‘Step With Refugees’ and stand with them, we demand that all countries, governments and people adhere to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol to help protect them and to make the rights expounded in the convention accessible to them.

Refugees have the right to;

1. not to be expelled, except under certain, strictly defined condition
2. not to be punished for illegal entry into the territory of a contracting State;
3. work;
4. good and quality education
5. decent housing;
6. Access the courts
7. Freedom of religion
8. Public relief and assistance;
9. Freedom of movement within the territory;
10. Be issued identity and travel documents.

Let’s span the world with friendship! Happy world refugee day!!!