PRESS RELEASE

EMBARGO 00:01
5 July 2017

Over 7 million children are on the move in

West and Central Africa each year

Vast majority of child migrants uprooted by violence, poverty

and climate change remain in Africa

DAKAR/NEW YORK, 5 July 2017 Children account for over half of the 12 million West and
Central African people on the move each year, with some 75 per cent of them remaining in
sub-Saharan Africa, and less than one in five heading to Europe UNICEF announced today as
part of a new report.

In Search of Opportunities: Voices of children on the move in West and Central Africa looks at
the main drivers behind regional child migration and displacement, as well as longer-term
implications for the region if these large scale population movements intensify as projected with
current trends in population growth.

Children in West and Central Africa are moving in greater numbers than ever before, many in
search of safety or a better life, said UNICEF Regional Director Marie-Pierre Poirier. Yet the
majority of these children are moving within Africa, not to Europe or elsewhere. We must
broaden the discussion on migration to encompass the vulnerabilities of all children on the
move and expand systems to protect them, in all their intended destinations.

The report, which is based on a series of interviews with migrants and their families from
several countries, reveals a complex set of drivers for migration beyond poverty. It suggests
that migration involving children and young people from West and Central Africa is likely to
increase due to a confluence of factors including rapid population growth and urbanization,
unequitable economic development, persistent conflict, weak governance and limited
institutional capacity to support the most vulnerable populations.

Climate change is also a major factor driving migration in West and Central Africa. The region is
projected to experience a three to four degree rise in temperature this century more than one
and a half times higher than anywhere else in the world. Severe flooding and drought is already
causing the loss of livelihoods and displacement, while changing climate patterns are making
some forms of agriculture increasingly unsustainable. Tensions over access to scarce resources
for cattle and livestock are leading to hostilities in some rural areas, pushing greater numbers
of people towards cities.

The report finds that the region lacks sufficient protection systems both within and across
borders - to ensure the safety and wellbeing of refugee and migrant children, a gap which will
become more pronounced with the projected increase in both national populations and
migration. The report recommends that policy makers put children at the centre of any
response to migration. This can be done by strengthening the chain of protection for children
between countries of origin, transit and destination. The close cooperation of governments, UN,
and non-governmental partners is critical in to ensure childrens access to healthcare,
education and other essential services, regardless of their migration status.

UNICEF continues to urge all governments, in West and Central Africa, in Europe and elsewhere
to adopt the six-point Agenda for Action for the protection of refugee and migrant children:

1. Protect child refugees and migrants, particularly unaccompanied children, from exploitation
and violence;
2. End the detention of children seeking refugee status or migrating, by introducing a range of
practical alternatives;
3. Keep families together as the best way to protect children and give children legal status;
4. Keep all refugee and migrant children learning and give them access to health and other
quality services;
5. Press for action on the underlying causes of large scale movements of refugees and migrants;
6. Promote measures to combat xenophobia, discrimination and marginalization in countries of
transit and destination.

In addition to this Agenda for Action, UNICEF has also launched a Campaign urging the public to
stand in solidarity with refugee and migrant children uprooted by war, violence and poverty. The
#AChildIsAChild campaign has so far been supported on social media by more than 2 million
people.

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Note to editors: download photos, video and b-roll here: http://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AMZIFLBZWE7

For more information visit: https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/childrenonthemove/uprooted/

About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with
our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical
action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the
benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.

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For more information, please contact:

Patrick Rose, UNICEF Dakar, +221 786 380 250, prose@unicef.org
Christopher Tidey, UNICEF New York, +1 917 340 3017, ctidey@unicef.org