Defending Children's rights

©TDH

Terre des Hommes runs two campaigns championing child rights

DESTINATION UNKNOWN CAMPAIGN

Standing up for children on the move around the world

More than 7,000 people lost their lives along migratory routes in 2016, with many more being subject to violence and exploitation. The Destination Unknown campaign – coordinated by Terre des Hommes – supported 159 projects in 66 different countries across the globe in response to this. These projects protected children on the move and were implemented by campaign members. They do not include emergency responses to humanitarian crisis such as the war in Syria.

Members of the Destination Unknown campaign worked with more than one hundred partners to support children on the move and their families – documenting their needs and advocating for their rights at local, national, regional and global levels. These organisations also campaigned to ensure children on the move have access to all the services they need, from places of origin to destination and all along the migration route, and for children to be reunited with their families where possible and appropriate.

Psychological support

One such instance of this support is the FARO project – developed by Terre des Hommes (Italy). The project provided psychological assistance to 12,638 refugees and migrants arriving in Italy in 2016, handed out first aid kits to children and families in Milan, and provided a legal information service in Ventimiglia.

Child protection in UN legislation

On 19 September 2016, the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants adopted the ‘New York Declaration’, marking the beginning of a two-year process to develop two new international Global Compacts – one on safe, orderly and regular migration, and one on sharing responsibility for caring for refugees. Terre des Hommes teamed up with Save the Children to form the Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts – to ensure child protection and care are at the heart of these still developing agreements.

Making children on the move heard

Members of the Destination Unknown campaign also took part in the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Bangladesh in December 2016. Campaign organisations empowered young people to voice their opinions directly at the conference – with Destination Unknown members from Malta, Lebanon, Cyprus and Sweden bringing youth delegations to address policymakers about their concerns.

GIVING A VOICE TO CHILDREN ON THE MOVE

The Destination Unknown campaign seeks to give children affected by migration the ear of the politicians who decide their future. That’s why three child refugees – Salman, Amged and Yaza – recorded their hopes and dreams for the Destination Unknown campaign. These messages were then spread across social media in the run-up to the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome – the document which heralded the beginning of the European Union.

The Destination Unknown campaign also organised the 2016 Youth Call – a consultation to gather the opinions and experiences of children on the move around the world. The Youth Call allowed children experiencing or affected by migration to highlight the opportunities and threats they face, and proved a valuable tool to the Destination Unknown campaign when raising awareness on the plight of child refugees and migrants to politicians, governments, international institutions and the media.

In 2016, following a consultation with a large number of experts from UN agencies, academics, donors and civil society organisations, Terre des Hommes coordinated the drafting of the 'Recommended Principles for Children on the Move and Other Children Affected by Migration'. These principles seek to ensure children are treated as children first and foremost, and seek to guide both advocacy and programme work at national, regional and international levels.

Hear young Syrian refugee Salman share his hopes and dreams

Click to view