A Rwandan refugee boy from the Benaco Camp in north-western Tanzania, wears a grass crown on his head, used as a support to carry water containers. Africa and Asia have 60 per cent of the world's refugees.
UNICEF/HQ94-0084/Howard Davies
Right now, 20 million children have been forced to leave their homes because of wars and human rights violations, and 50 per cent of displaced people globally are children. These children may lose their families, friends, possessions, schools and security, and are at risk of serious harm.
Many children become separated from family in the chaos that happens when they are forced to leave their homes in times of war. If they do become separated from family, the risk of the children being maltreated then also increases - for example, of being recruited to fight, of sexual violence, exploitation and abuse, and of forced labour.
Some families stay together until they have found a safe place, but find themselves living in poor conditions, so children are more likely to suffer from malnutrition and illness. Many children end up spending their entire childhoods in refugee camps, in very basic living conditions. In Sudan, entire generations of children have never lived at home.
Two thirds of all of the people who flee their homes move to different places in their own countries. These people are called “internally displaced people”. It can be hard to help them, because they don’t have the same rights as refugees, who are protected by international laws. Most of these people are living in Sudan, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and countries of the former Soviet Union. It is estimated that almost half of all IDPs in the world are children.
When people leave their homes and look for protection in other countries, they’re called asylum seekers. The government of the country will decide whether to give them “refugee status”. This is based on a set of rules which looks at whether it is safe for that person to return to their home country. If they do, the person becomes a refugee and is under the United Nations Convention on Refugees (1951).
Despite what you read in the papers, there’s no such thing as a “bogus” or “illegal” asylum seeker. Under international law, anyone has the right to apply for asylum and to remain in the country until their application has been assessed.
Many people think that most refugees end up in wealthy countries like the UK, but this isn’t true. The UK is home to just 3 per cent of the world’s refugees whilst Africa and Asia together have 75 per cent of the world’s refugees. Most asylum seekers and refugees travel to the countries nearest to their own country. For example, Pakistan is home to over 1 million displaced people,mostly from neighbouring Afghanistan, whilst the UK is home to around 300,000 displaced people.
For example, conflict in Sudan has forced four million people from their homes. In 2007 222,722 people fled the country, mainly to neighbouring countries, tens of thousands living in camps in Chad. Only a few of them - around 330 Sudanese people - applied for asylum in the UK that year.
How UNICEF helps
UNICEF tries to make sure that children who are forced to leave their homes have the same rights to survival, protection, and development as other children. We work with partners to help displaced children get clean water, sanitation, health care and nutrition, help them to go to school, and provide cultural activities, child friendly spaces and recreation. This help is given not only to save lives but also to make sure children feel safe and protected.