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protecting children's rights
Children on the Move are children who have been directly or indirectly affected by migration and displacement, either internationally across borders or within the same country. They include child migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced children, children left behind while parents or caregivers migrate, stateless children and child victims of cross-border trafficking.
Global Figures
According to the latest available data compiled by the International Data Alliance for Children on the Move (2020), there are 35.5 million international migrant children and 19.1 million refugee and asylum-seeking children around the globe. An additional 29.4 million were internally displaced due to conflict and 4.4 million were internally displaced due to disasters.
Causes and Vulnerabilities
Children are moving across borders for a variety of causes including economic, political, religious and climate-related conditions. They are looking for a better future. Unfortunately, they are at high risk of falling victim to all forms of abuse and exploitation, and of being deprived of their basic rights.
ISS Background
Already in the 1920s, ISS Members provided assistance to people fleeing the consequences of the first world war by giving tailored psychosocial and legal support services to migrants, including children on the move. Building on this expertise, ISS prepared a series of study reports directed at different institutions including the League of Nations (now the United Nations) and the International Labour Organisation, both established in 1919, to influence international policymaking but also to enact reform in national legislation, policies and administrative procedures with regard to migration.
ISS continued to work closely with other international organisations such as the International Refugee Organisation, founded in 1946 to deal with the massive refugee problem created by World War II, now called the UNHCR. In 1987, ISS published a guide on ‘Unaccompanied children in emergency situations’.
ISS manual for professionals
In 2017, ISS published a practical manual, Children on the move: from protection towards a quality sustainable solution. The manual, available in Spanish and English, is a hands-on tool that helps to ensure that the child’s best interests are at the heart of decision-making and is based on the daily casework of ISS members helping children on the move.
ISS advocates for greater collaboration between States and their respective Child Protection Authorities, agencies and organisations, and the establishment of effective transnational referral processes for the protection of children on the move.
States need to place every child at the centre of the decision-making process and tackle the challenges with the following commitments:
Within the development of a well-connected, transnational network of child protection professionals, ISS has developed a proven and harmonised methodology including eight steps:
Since 2017 until now, ISS has actively participated in international advocacy and development of international standards. Between 2018 – 2022, ISS was the main driver in the development and organisation of the MOOC Training Course Caring for Children moving alone.
ISS Casework
Children who are separated from their families due to conflict, migration, or crisis situations often need urgent protection and long-term support. ISS Members help trace their families, reunite them when possible, and connect them to legal, emotional, and social services to ensure they are safe and supported. Services can include:
Spotlight on Regional Project
Since 2022, the General Secretariat and ISS West Africa have been actively involved in the “Children and Youth on Migration Routes” project, supported by the Swiss Confederation. Implemented by a consortium led by Helvetas and Terre des Hommes, this project brings together several partners, to ensure better protection for children and young people on the move, as well as access to education and social integration in five countries: Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Niger, and Tunisia.
During the first phase, ISS focused its efforts mainly in Morocco, in collaboration with the NGO Bayti and ISS West Africa, providing individualised support to over a hundred migrant children and young people. ISS cross border casework also helped strengthen the skills of child protection actors and promote networking between local, national, and transnational institutions.
At the same time, ISS West Africa operated in Guinea, Mali, Niger, and other countries in the region, ensuring care and co-creating sustainable solutions with and for children and young people on the move. In 2024, ISS also launched initiatives in Tunisia including the organisation of training workshops and support for civil society organisations.
The second phase of the project (2026–2029) will reinforce ISS presence in North Africa. Together with other consortium members, ISS will continue working to improve the care and sustainable integration of children and youth, strengthen protection systems, and promote joint advocacy between West Africa and the Maghreb. ISS is committed to creating more dignified future opportunities for children and young people on the move.
quality care for migrant children in Morocco
In the frame of the project ‘Hijra wa Himaya’ that started in October 2019, ISS has provided technical assistance to child protection authorities in Morocco, in collaboration with UNICEF Morocco and other actors involved, in the protection of children on the move. The main objective of this project was to develop national procedures for the assessment and determination of the best interests of children on the move, and to strengthen the capacities and expertise of national actors. To this end, the project was able to count on the support of several ISS network members with long standing expertise in this field, such as ISS Switzerland, ISS Italy, ISS Morocco (Bayti) and ISS West Africa. In April 2023, the Standard Operating Procedures for the Care of Children on the Move in Morocco were published.
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