IIMA delivers oral statement on Unaccompanied Migrant Children

On September 20, 2016, IIMA representative Christian Ruehling delivered an oral statement to the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council (HRC) on the global issue of unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents.  The intervention occurred after the Committee presented its progress report on this issue, which was mandated by Human Rights Council resolution 29/12 at its 29^th session in June 2015.

The progress report highlighted the complexities and challenges facing States and civil society in tackling such a global issue. Unaccompanied migrant children are a vulnerable segment of society whose access to primary and secondary education is interrupted when they are forced to leave their home countries due to conditions that are beyond their control.  Access to secondary education is of particular importance as it allows adolescents who are transitioning to adulthood to discover and develop their skills and find their purpose in the world.

As part of its oral statement, IIMA called upon States, in particular States of origin, transit, and destination, to:

• Ensure that unaccompanied migrant children have access to primary and secondary education and that all government educators and professionals are adequately qualified to work with unaccompanied migrant children.

• Coordinate and cooperate more effectively with each other, especially in regions experiencing major migration flows such as the Central American Northern Triangle, in order to protect and guarantee the human rights of unaccompanied migrant children in accordance with the guiding principle that the best interests of the child shall be of primary consideration in all State actions.

• Develop additional best practices for the care and education of unaccompanied migrant children with a particular focus on adolescents who transition to adulthood.

IIMA welcomes the progress made to date by the Committee and looks forward to the final report that is scheduled to be delivered to the Council at its thirty-sixth session in September 2017.