Children and adolescents on the move: what does the Global Compact for Migration mean for their health?

The Lancet Commission on migration and health shows that migration can have huge benefits for the health and wellbeing of populations. Families, children, and adolescents move to seek a new life and escape hardships, such as poverty and conflict. When conditions are optimal, they integrate quickly and successfully into societies. But migration also poses risks, including perilous journeys, people trafficking, and transit and destinations without the basic requirements of nutrition, shelter, health services, and education.

 

On Dec 10–11, 2018, the United Nations (UN) will launch the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which represents an intention to move away from reactive approaches to migration governance and identify concrete measures that benefit both migrants and UN member states. These measures include establishing and facilitating regular migration channels, family reunification, skills recognition, increased action to counter racism and xenophobia, and upholding human rights. Here we focus on the extent to which The Global Compact for Migration promotes the health of child and adolecent migrants. The Global Compact for Migration recognises migrants' right to health by reference to human rights treaties (including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) and in its endorsement of the WHO “framework of priorities and guiding principles for promoting the health of refugees and migrants”, which promotes inclusion of refugees and migrants in universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goal agenda to leave no-one behind.

 

Contributor: Kolitha Wickramage