TY - UNPB

T1 - Strengthening Child Protection Systems for Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Mozambique

T2 - A case study of the border town of Ressano Garcia

AU - Verdasco Martinez, Andrea

N1 - Innocenti Working Papers 2013-13

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - This research sets out to understand the why, how and with whom of rural-urban internal migration of children to Ressano Garcia, a border town between Mozambique and South Africa. It addresses the overarching research question of how to strengthen child protection systems for unaccompanied migrant children. By identifying children’s reasons for migrating, it identifies the main risks they encounter once they start living and working in Ressano Garcia. These include: lack of access to educational opportunities, exposure to child labour exploitation, trafficking and smuggling. This paper argues that child protection systems must respond to the unique situation of migrant children’s needs. Child protection and migration policies need to strike a balance between discouraging unsafe migration, which has the potential to expose children to violence, and ensuring that systems are in place for safe migration at all stages of their journey. It provides a set of specific policies to address the needs of unaccompanied migrant children in Mozambique.

AB - This research sets out to understand the why, how and with whom of rural-urban internal migration of children to Ressano Garcia, a border town between Mozambique and South Africa. It addresses the overarching research question of how to strengthen child protection systems for unaccompanied migrant children. By identifying children’s reasons for migrating, it identifies the main risks they encounter once they start living and working in Ressano Garcia. These include: lack of access to educational opportunities, exposure to child labour exploitation, trafficking and smuggling. This paper argues that child protection systems must respond to the unique situation of migrant children’s needs. Child protection and migration policies need to strike a balance between discouraging unsafe migration, which has the potential to expose children to violence, and ensuring that systems are in place for safe migration at all stages of their journey. It provides a set of specific policies to address the needs of unaccompanied migrant children in Mozambique.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - child protection

KW - child labour

KW - trafficking

KW - rural-urban migration

KW - poverty

KW - qualitative research

KW - Mozambique

M3 - Working paper

SP - 1

EP - 57

BT - Strengthening Child Protection Systems for Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Mozambique

PB - United Nations Children's Fund

CY - Florence, Italy

ER -