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 Youth Zone - Development Topics - Child Refugees
Child Refugees
Refugee protection
Dreams turn to nightmares
Where are refugees found?
Voices of child refugees
Why are there refugees?
What is the Government of Canada doing to help?
How can you get involved?
Links to other organizations offering more information
This grandmother and her
grandchildren fled Doboj,
Bosnia, during the civil war.
Now, they have returned
home with the help
of the CIDA-sponsored
Merhamet program, a Muslim
charity that helps returnees
settle back into their towns.
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A 10-year-old girl in a refugee camp in Tanzania drinks water to keep from feeling hungry. It’s not so easy to stop feeling afraid, sad and hopeless. She fled from her home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo because of civil war. When soldiers attacked her house, she ran into the night, taking nothing with her. She lost everything important to her — family, home, friends, and personal possessions. She is one of millions of children around the world. They are caught in a terrible situation they did not create and cannot control.
 Refugee protection
Refugee children are protected under international laws. These laws include the United Nations Convention on Refugees and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Refugee protection also depends on two major supports. The first is the willingness of other countries to take in refugees. The second support is money given by other countries and organizations to fund the work of international organizations. For example, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees provides food and necessary services for refugees.
Dreams turn to nightmares
In Freetown, Sierra Leone, Liberian refugees
line up to board a helicopter to return to
Monrovia, the Liberian capital. Several
years ago, these refugees had fled the
civil war in Liberia only to be caught up
in the civil war in Sierre Leone.
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Children and their families often reach the relative safety of a refugee camp. But they can be exposed to dangers even there. Sometimes international laws cannot be enforced because of insecurity and lawlessness. There may not be enough money available to care for refugees.
Survival in a refugee camp is often a daily struggle. Sometimes there is not enough food or health care. Many refugee children die of hunger and diseases that could easily be treated. Child refugees are often threatened by other dangers. They may be victims of sexual violence and exploitation. They may be physically abused. They may be recruited to serve as child soldiers in an army, militia or rebel force.
Many children have no one to protect them. They have lost or been separated from their parents. Many live in terrible conditions in refugee camps. This includes families living in one- or two-room dwellings. Education after grade six is the key to a better future. It is rarely provided in a refugee camp. Children may not have the chance to gain the skills they will need in their future lives, or to help rebuild their home countries.
Sometimes they cannot leave the refugee camp. They may not have the chance to settle in another country. Many children stay in refugee camps for years before they can go home. For some children, it is the only life they have known.
Where are refugees found?
Two groups of people are forced from their homes. Refugees leave their homes for the safety of another country. Internally displaced people run to safer places in their own countries. Both groups are found where there is armed conflict, persecution or continuing violence. Africa and Asia are the most severely affected. However, there are refugees in most regions of the world.
Voices of child refugees
“I dream of my life before the war.” Afghan girl refugee
“We walked for days, for months, thousands of miles. We slept on the ground and often had to eat leaves to survive. People shot at us. Many boys were killed. What happened to my parents? I don’t know.” Sudanese boy refugee
“I hope that, in time, the world will realize what a great distress it is to live through this horror, day in, day out, without an end in sight.” Somali girl refugee
Why are there refugees?
People run for their lives for many reasons. Oppression, persecution, human rights violations, rivalries between groups — all contribute to creating refugees. However, the major reason is war. There are many wars being fought today — about 37 armed conflicts around the world. There are about 12 million refugees; 39 percent are children under the age of 18. There are also 6 million internally displaced children.
What is the Government of Canada doing to help?
Canada has been a strong advocate for the rights and well being of refugee children. The Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) Action Plan on Child Protection supports Canada's commitment to children who need special protection. This includes refugee and displaced children.
The Government of Canada helps and protects them through CIDA. It supports international organizations, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It also supports non-governmental organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. It supports humanitarian relief. For example, it sends food and medicine to refugee camps. CIDA contributes to programs that reunite refugee children with their families. In Sierra Leone and Uganda, CIDA funds programs that provide basic education to boys and girls. Perhaps most importantly, CIDA works to understand and eliminate the basic causes of wars, such as poverty and inequality.
Through Foreign Affairs Canada, Canada acts as an important advocate for the rights of refugee children. It does so especially when countries do not respect international laws meant to protect refugee children. Canada also provides asylum to refugees, so they can begin new lives here.
The Government of Canada has also raised awareness about the situation of war-affected children in general. In 2000, for example, Canada hosted the International Conference on War-Affected Children. The Conference showed Canada’s continuing commitment and assistance to war-affected children. The Conference also gave youth a chance to voice their views on issues that affect them. This was a first for an international conference on children. Lieutenant-General (Retired) Roméo Dallaire is Special Advisor on War-Affected Children to CIDA and the Minister for International Cooperation. He helps to raise awareness about the issue in Canada and internationally, particularly among Canadian youth.
How can you get involved?
- Learn more. Read about child refugees at: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or the Refugee Studies Centre.
- Volunteer. Work for an organization that deals with refugees and war-affected children. Check out the Children in Armed Conflict Working Group of the Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee for a list of organizations.
- Discuss. Raise awareness about child refugees with your parents, friends and others. Participate in UNICEF’s Voices of Youth message centre to discuss the issues.
- Write letters. Write to politicians about the need to continue helping child refugees.
- Fundraise. Organize an event to raise money for programs that help refugee children.
- Organize. Create a club or volunteer group at your school that focuses on child refugees.
- Create art or write about child refugees. Submit a piece to CIDA's butterfly 208 contest.
Links to other organizations offering more information
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