Child Refugee Crisis

February 2017

The Exploding Phenomenon of Children on the Move

Over 65 million people worldwide have fled their homes due to conflict or fear of violence and persecution, according to the UN Refugee Agency. There are more people fleeing war and persecution today than ever before – and nearly 11 million are from Syria’s brutal six-year war. On average, 24 people worldwide were displaced from their homes every minute of every day during 2015, amounting to some 34,000 per day. 

While conflict and oppression may be the key drivers behind the flight of millions of children, other girls and boys are leaving their homes because of natural disasters and chronic food shortages, which create extreme hunger and increase vulnerabilities; pervasive criminal violence; and political turmoil and discrimination against ethnic minorities. For other children, family migration promises the chance of a better life, an escape from poverty and an opportunity to access jobs, education and basic services.  Nearly half of these 65 million people are children below age 18. Far too many are suffering from inadequate access to food, water, shelter and other necessities. Additionally, the basic services children need to survive and develop are frequently far outside their reach, including education, protection and heath care. Their futures have been stolen from them – and without comprehensive aid and support, their childhoods will be lost forever. 

Save the Children’s Response

Since our organization’s inception in 1919, we have worked tirelessly to help girls and boys who are displaced from their homes by conflict, persecution, oppression, disaster and other crises. We provide lifesaving assistance, improve access to quality education, ensure that children do not die from preventable causes, and protect children from violence and exploitation. We also meet the emotional needs of children traumatized by their being uprooted from home or witnessing war’s horrors. We protect girls and boys from violence, trafficking and exploitation. We identify the most vulnerable children – including those traveling alone – and ensure they have safe places to stay, play, can learn and have pathways that help them rebuild their lives.

Save the Children is committed to continuing to help millions of children on the move, regardless of ethnicity, religion or any other factor. Your contribution to our Child Refugee Crisis Relief Fund will support our work to meet children’s immediate and longer-term needs: from food and clothing to health services and child protection to our advocacy work and expert staff.

Our Work inside Syria 

Since the beginning of our humanitarian response to the crisis in Syria, Save the Children and our partners have worked tirelessly to reach children and adults displaced and trapped in their war-torn country. We have delivered a wide range of aid to over 2.3 million displaced Syrians to date, of whom 1.5 million are children, continuously providing

health and hygiene services, food and  nutrition resources, psychosocial support and protection and restoring children’s access to education and adults’ access to a sustainable income.  Save the Children and its partners in Syria’s Aleppo and Idlib governorates also provided food, blankets, emergency kits, and cash grants to thousands of overwhelmed children and families who were evacuated from the shattered city of Aleppo in December 2016 after enduring months of brutal conflict.

Our Work in the Middle East

Across the region affected by the Syria crisis, Save the Children is meeting the needs of refugee children and their families. We work in camps and urban communities in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. We are providing early childhood care for children under age 5. We have established and supported schools, supplied education materials and trained teachers. We are helping youth develop life skills and access employment; we have also set up child-friendly spaces and youth spaces, which build children’s resilience and offer psychosocial support to those who need it. By increasing access to health care and nutrition services, we are helping families receive the treatment and support they need, and we annually distribute clothing and winterization kits to families living in unheated or abandoned buildings.

Our Reach across Europe

Save the Children has provided nonstop relief to children and families on the move in Greece and Italy, and during their arduous journey along migratory routes to their destinations. We have adapted our aid as borders have closed – always to ensure very vulnerable children are protected from harm. We make every effort to reach children making the journey alone, as they are in grave danger of exploitation and abuse.

With over 60,000 refugees and migrants trapped in Greece, we are providing health and nutrition services and activities that keep children safe and engaged in education. In April of this year, we will be redeploying our search-and-rescue vessel, the Vos Hestia, in the Mediterranean Sea, which rescued more than 2,700 children and adults from the most dangerous sea crossing (the route from North Africa to Italy) in 2016. In refugee  reception centers and host communities in Europe’s destination countries, we ensure newly-arrived children have access to essential services and that their rights are respected. We work in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Norway, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands. 

Advocacy for Children

In 2016, the global Save the Children movement launched the Every Last Child campaign to ensure that all children survive, learn and are protected – with a specific focus on girls and refugee children. Through it, we are advocating for a “new deal” for forcibly displaced children – and are pushing for robust refugee resettlement, increased financing for education in emergencies and policy changes to facilitate refugee children’s access to quality learning. Importantly, we are encouraging a global commitment to ensure every child who is forcibly displaced by conflict is learning within 30 days of displacement. We will continue to be a constant voice for children on the move, whose only chance for survival and a better future relies on access to safety and protection.  

• Children_on_the_Move_2017.pdf (PDF)