The number of displaced children worldwide has reached 43.3 million by 2022, a new record estimated by UNICEF, which estimates that the war in Ukraine has led to the flight of more than two million minors.
According to a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the number of children displaced from their homes has doubled in the last decade, exceeding the capacity for inclusion and protection of refugee and displaced children.
Regarding the World Refugee Day marked today, UNICEF reports that of the 43.3 million children who were forcibly displaced at the end of last year, almost 60 per cent (25.8 million) were internally displaced due to conflict and violence.
Also extreme weather events, such as floods in Pakistan and drought in the Horn of Africa, have resulted in an additional 12 million child displacements over 2022.
“The number of children forced to flee their homes has been increasing at an alarming rate for over a decade and our global capacity to respond is under severe pressure,” says UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, quoted in a statement.
“This increase reflects the impact of conflicts, crises and climate disasters around the world, but also shows the insufficient response of many Governments to ensure that all refugee and internally displaced children can continue to learn, stay healthy and develop to their full potential,” she added.
In addition to the more than two million Ukrainian children who have had to leave the country, the Russian invasion has also forced more than one million minors to move internally.
UNICEF calls on Governments to leave no child behind, urging recognition of refugee, migrant and displaced children as “children first”, and to provide them with safe and legal avenues to move, seek asylum and reunite with their families.
Among the calls, the UN Fund also calls on executives to strengthen national education, health, child protection and social protection systems to include them without discrimination; and to invest in national child protection systems to better protect children on the move who are at risk of exploitation and violence, especially unaccompanied children.
