40% of all displaced people are children, despite children making up under 1/3 of the world’s population. There are various reasons for this, such as their parents having died due to conflict or disaster, escaping child marriage, and being trafficked for forced labour. In addition, an average of 385,000 children are born as refugees each year. This is a problem because the already awful experience of being a refugee can be made even worse simply by being a child, and this blog post will explore the two main reasons why this is the case: a lack of access to education, and a lack of access to healthcare.
Half of the millions of school-age refugees are not in school. This comprises 62% pre-primary, 35% primary, 59% secondary, and 94% tertiary. A significant reason for low enrolment rates is that many refugees live in poorer and less developed countries, which are unable to afford and coordinate suitable education systems. Other barriers include countries having different interpretations of the same rights, a lack of information being presented to parents, language barriers, and unavailable documentation. Furthermore, the overall issue appears to be continuing, as it has seen improvements in some countries but deteriorations in others. It must also be remembered that enrolment data does not take the quality of education into account. For example, children from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit from lower pupil-to-teacher ratios, yet poorer and less developed countries tend to have higher pupil-to-teacher ratios. All of this is important because access to good quality education is conducive to positive outcomes, such as more employment opportunities and a lower likelihood of early pregnancy.
One in five refugee children are unaccompanied by a caregiver, so do not benefit from a parent or guardian with an understanding of what healthcare they may need and how to access it. However, even refugee children who remain with a parent or guardian may not receive the appropriate support from them, as mental health issues resulting from displacement can render caregivers incapable of suitably raising a dependent. Mental health issues can also directly affect refugee children themselves - this is a significant risk, especially for those who are unaccompanied and therefore more susceptible to trafficking. Furthermore, children born during journeys to safety are a significant concern, as they have an increased risk of severe and life threatening illnesses such as hypothermia and meningitis. This can be worsened due to a lack of nutrition, as breastfeeding is more of a struggle for displaced mothers. Please note that this information is all specific to children, though our last blog post about refugee health in general also applies to young people.
For more information on these topics, please see the following two articles: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/sites/uk/files/2023-09/2023-UNHCR-EDU_Report-screen%5B78%5D_3.pdf (education) and https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/342285/9789289053792-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (healthcare). To learn about what the UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR) is doing to improve the lives of refugee women, please read this webpage: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/what-we-do/how-we-work/safeguarding-individuals/children
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