Not Just a European Crisis: UNICEF Warns of 'Never-Ending Flow' of Refugees

Migration has become a global problem and until the root causes of it are dealt with, the world will continue to face a constant flow of refugees, UNICEF spokesman Simon Ingram told Radio Sputnik.

Nearly 50 million children worldwide have been uprooted from their homes, according to a report published by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday.

UNICEF spokesman Simon Ingram told Radio Sputnik that the report illustrates the global nature of the migration issue.

"Over the past 18 months we have heard so much about migration and refugees as being a European crisis. What this report shows, apart from anything else, is the truly global nature of the forces which are driving more and more people, especially children, to leave their homes and flee," Ingram said.

More than half the children, 28 million, were forced to leave their homes because of war and violence. One million children are asylum-seekers whose refugee status has not yet been determined, 17 million have been displaced within their own countries and ten million have traveled abroad to seek refuge.

These children are exploited by people smugglers, face immediate physical danger as they attempt to flee, and then get inadequate social support when they arrive at their destination.

"One of the big calls we're making is for countries across the world to strengthen the child protection network which they have. (This includes) social services, social workers, provide better-equipped accommodation so that children have somewhere to go and have human support to help them adapt and adjust to their new circumstances."

Apart from war, about 20 million international child migrants have left their homes for a variety of reasons including extreme poverty or gang violence. Ingram said that many children are sent abroad to earn money for their families.

"Children are sent from poorer countries in West Africa for example, 16-17 year old boys are sent by their family with the intention of getting them into Europe so they can then send money back to support their family back home."

The UN is holding its first summit for refugees and migrants on September 19 in New York. Ingram said the summit is a chance for world leaders to address the migration issue, which is a global problem that needs to be tackled at its origin.

"We are urging much more effort to be made to tackle the root causes of poverty and social dislocation and unemployment in countries which are producing these large outflows of refugees. Until that issue is tackled, we're always going to find that there will be a never-ending flow of young people leaving those countries," Ingram said. 

"Migration is no longer a problem affecting a handful of struggling countries. It really is a global phenomenon and a global responsibility that the whole world has to face up to."