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Humanitarian Action for Children 2019 - Refugee and migrant crisis in Europe (Revised: September 2019)

Countries
World
+ 7 more
Sources
UNICEF
Publication date
Origin
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  • Total people in need: 294,000

  • Total children (<18) in need: 65,500

  • Total people to be reached: 44,630

  • Total children to be reached: 35,230

2019 programme targets:

Greece

  • 10,000 children benefiting from quality child protection services

  • 5,000 people accessing gender-based violence prevention and response services

  • 17,450 children enrolled in formal and non-formal education, including early childhood education

  • 1,800 adolescent boys and girls reached with participation and empowerment

Italy

  • 1,150 unaccompanied and separated children benefiting from quality child protection services

  • 2,250 frontline workers and caregivers trained on child protection and alternative care

  • 2,100 adolescents participating in skills development programmes

  • 3,000 adolescent boys and girls benefitting from enhanced participation

Bulgaria

  • 300 children benefiting from quality child protection services

  • 200 people accessing gender-based violence prevention and response services

  • 600 children participating in non-formal education, including early childhood education

Serbia

  • 1,500 children benefiting from quality child protection services

  • 200 people accessing gender-based violence prevention and response services

  • 500 children enrolled in formal education activities

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • 6,000 children benefiting from quality child protection services

  • 1,500 children enrolled in formal and nonformal education 600 children vaccinated

Montenegro

  • 50 frontline workers and caregivers with improved knowledge and skills on child protection and child health Regional technical support

  • 9 countries with enhanced preparedness and response capacities related to children on the move

Refugee migrant response in Europe

Mostly from the Middle East, South Asia, East and West Africa, children on the move in Europe have fled conflict, insecurity and deprivation. In 2019, over 35,000 refugees and migrants, a quarter of them children, entered Europe. They added to the 2 million refugees and migrants, including 464,000 children who arrived between 2014 and 2018. Turkey continues to host to some 3.9 million people, including 1.7 million children. While arrivals through the Central Mediterranean route have decreased, there is a sharp increase on the Eastern and Western Mediterranean routes, significantly worsening the situations on the Greek islands, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in southern Spain. Approximately 42,000 children were living in Greece, Italy and the Western Balkans as of June 2019. Despite progress, refugee and migrant children continue to face heightened risks of violence, including gender-based violence, in countries of arrival, transit and destination. This is largely due to insufficient and sub-standard reception capacities. Access to health and education services remains inadequate, and the shortage of resources threatens gains achieved in enrolling children on the move in public schools, especially in Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Government’s capacity to cater for families with children in Montenegro is also being challenged. Asylum and child protection systems across the region remain ill-equipped and the rising anti-migrant discourse translates into push-backs at the borders. Over 16,500 unaccompanied or separated children registered in Greece, Italy and the Balkans still lack the necessary continuum of care and protection, as national legislation, policies and resource allocation have yet to align with international best practices. These circumstances undermine the capacities of children—accompanied or unaccompanied—to recover from their ordeals, jeopardize their social inclusion, and compromise child rights.