Skip to main content

Refugee children

Resolution number
20
Whereas
  1. 85% percent of the world refugee population are women and children and the number of refugee children exceeds 10 million;
  2. Refugee children are the most vulnerable sector of refugees all over the globe;
  3. Refugee girls are persecuted for their gender and refugee children bear responsibilities for childcare and for parenting of younger children;
  4. Refugee children suffer regular violations in camps which rarely gain attention and condemnation in the media, including hard physical labour, malnutrition, epidemics, rape and are deprived of adequate schooling and education opportunities;
  5. Unaccompanied children and minors suffer detention in many countries;
  6. The defense and protection of refugee children has not received adequate attention in educational material and international legal conventions;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR take action with the Canadian government and relevant international organizations to:

  1. Call for an international legal instrument for the protection of refugee children as a supplement to the Geneva Convention and Protocols;
  2. Call for an increase in relief aid and educational resources to refugee children, especially those in camp situations;
  3. Increase the numbers of unaccompanied minors resettled in western countries, after suitable efforts at family reunification have been exhausted;
  4. Demand an end to the detention of refugee children and call for the use of other more humane mechanisms to accommodate these children;
  5. Call for measures to eradicate prostitution, rape, female genital mutilation and other abuses in refugee camps, and for resources to be made available to assist in the healing of children victimized by these abuses;
  6. Call for humane measures concerning international adoptions of refugee children.
Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement