Panama - July 25, 2024

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has asked the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean on Wednesday to "protect" migrant children who move around the continent and has stressed the importance of not being separated from their families during these processes. The regional director of UNICEF for Latin America and the Caribbean, Karin Hulshof, has indicated in a statement that minors currently represent one in four migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean and has claimed their right to "be with their families." "Migrant families in the region have had no other option than to leave their homes due to the high levels of inequality, poverty and violence, aggravated by disasters and extreme weather events. During their journey, they cross dangerous terrain and are exposed to situations that endanger their lives," she said. Thus, regardless of their immigration status and where they are, she said, these children have rights that must be respected, as established by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF has recalled that it is the governments of the region that have the "obligation to guarantee that border and reception processes do not lead to deliberate or involuntary family separation." "This only adds stress and trauma to their lives," the document states. "Whether they travel with their family or alone, migrant and refugee children have the right to a process in which their best interests are adequately assessed, in order to identify sustainable solutions; these may include greater integration and settlement in the current country of residence, repatriation to the country of origin or resettlement in a third country," Hulshof asserted. In this regard, she recalled that all of them also have the right to request asylum and not to be returned to places "where their lives or well-being are at risk" and called on all governments in the region to adopt Best Interest Determination procedures to "effectively keep families together and reunite separated children." "UNICEF remains committed to working with countries in the region to protect children and ensure that their migration policies take into account the best interests of children," she said.