Migrant Children. Security and Rights: Pending Tasks

Migrant children are an increasingly visible global presence due to their sheer numbers and profound impact. Unfortunately, beyond sporadic headlines, viral images, and specialized reports, their voices often echo faintly in an adult-centered world, marked by indifference and multiple forms of barbaric behavior in contemporary society. Whether labeled as migrants, displaced, exiled, in-transit, returnees, or repatriated, these children are fundamentally just that: children first, and human beings second. Their circumstances of departure, origins, current locations, or routes taken do not diminish their inherent rights or humanity.

The term infant, derived from the Latin word infans, denotes someone who is unable to speak: from the earliest stages of life, children face the challenge of fully developing their human potential within society. It is through the process of maturation, profoundly influenced by their surroundings, that they acquire various capacities, including the voice necessary to advocate for their rights. This does not imply that children are passive or devoid of agency; rather, this is a call to understand the importance of early development and well-being, in a context of freedom and security [see box], within a culture that upholds rights. All children and adolescents worldwide should be treated equally, regardless of their background, aspirations, or the reasons for leaving home.


We are witnessing a shift in the demographic profiles of migrants. Originally composed mainly of adult men, migrant groups now increasingly encompass adolescents, pregnant women, and children. The migration flows have become more complex, burdening routes with human rights violations, vulnerabilities, obstacles, violence, persecution, and various illegalities and abuses perpetrated by state forces and organized crime. In Latin America and the Caribbean, migrant children constitute a larger proportion than in any other region globally (25 per cent, compared to the global average of 15 per cent). Moreover, these children face growing risks (UNICEF, 2023). Let us also consider that most people migrate out of necessity rather than choice, especially in these scenarios.

Today, the number of refugees has reached its highest since World War II, driven by new conflicts. In 2016, there were 50 million young children uprooted, fleeing violence or insecurity in their homelands. In 2022 alone, the number of schoolage refugee children increased by nearly 50 per cent compared to the previous year, many of them facing loneliness, despair, fear, and lack of resources (UNICEF, 2017). These children’s potential is constrained by the societies they flee from, pass through or seek refuge in. They constitute onethird of the global population but make up half of all refugees. If they survive displacement, they typically live as refugees for an average of two decades; they reside predominantly in the world’s least developed and low-to-middle income nations. Rather than fortifying borders, they must be offered a glimmer of hope, underscoring that in this “happy world,” it is often the poorest who shoulder the burdens of displacement.

BEYOND “SECOND-CLASS CITIZENSHIP”: INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION
In the 1990s, the concept of “perverse poverty” (Alvarez & Oswald, 1993) emerged, describing citizens with chronic maternal and child malnutrition that relegated children to a “second-class citizenship.” This condition stunted their structural and brain development due to deficiencies in essential growth elements, resulting in permanent damage. The globalization of late modernity, often termed neo-modernity for its technological promises and their partial fulfillment, is characterized by disenchantment due to social injustice, inequality, exclusion and marginalization. Within its multiple migratory dynamics, this neomodern globalization also fosters conditions akin to “perverse citizenship” and barbarism, as systemic barriers prevent integration, development or sustained well-being for children. Given the fragility of States and societal neglect at large, a pertinent question arises: Where do we classify children and adolescents who cannot even aspire to citizenship or whose basic human rights as global citizens are systematically violated? For instance, concerning significant developmental and neurodevelopmental disorders, World Health Organization (WHO) reports an average schizophrenia prevalence of 1 per cent across cultures. Among migrant populations, however, this figure rises to 5 per cent within the host culture. Furthermore, there exists a phenomenon known as negative epigenesis or the “second generation paradox,” where descendants of second-generation immigrants experience higher rates of mental health issues and suicide (Cyrulnik & Anaut, 2016, pp. 13, 19).

The sacred, idyllic, childhood, meant to be nurtured for the greater good of humanity, is instead marred by trauma for children and adolescents affected by displacement, conflicts, anxiety, and chronic stress. They endure constant uncertainty and ongoing dilemmas, facingdiscrimination, loneliness, isolation, and insecurity daily. These children, forced to leave their homes, live scenarios of terror and violence, confront dangerous journeys lacking essential services crucial for survival—exposure to drowning, dehydration, malnutrition, lack of water and food, infections, and multiple diseases. Along the way, they are vulnerable to insecurity, theft, retention, extortion, trafficking, kidnapping, rape and sexual violence, torture, and murder. Upon arrival, they often encounter exclusion, limited opportunities, xenophobia, discrimination, neglect, mistreatment, overcrowding conditions, low educational access, harassment, precariousness, the inability to establish a secure patrimony despite their contributions through taxes and community work, along with underemployment and long-term unemployment.

A refugee child is five times more likely to drop out of school, with over seven million refugee children currently not attending school. Globally, there are 15 million school-age refugees, over half of whom lack access to formal education. The fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG4) calls for “inclusive, equitable and quality education for all,” which implies aiming to foster prosperity for both individuals and their home and host countries. Refugee enrollment rates vary across school levels: 38 per cent in preschool, 65 per cent in primary, 41 per cent in secondary and only 6 per cent in tertiary. It is crucial to enhance educational access for children and adolescents affected by crises, strengthen resilient education systems, expand efficient national policies and programs for refugees, and secure sustained external funding for all students as prioritized in national education plans (ONU, 2023). The present of children and the future of humanity hinge on these efforts— nothing less is at stake.

In terms of quality of life, international commitments, and long-term learning, Mexico faces a unique challenge with its porous border, historically experiencing the criminalization of migrant communities. Now, however, we both receive and criminalize immigrants, including children, from the south and other parts of the world on their journey. The United States and Mexico deport migrant children, accompanied and unaccompanied, who are fleeing violence in their home countries, often resulting in family separation and disintegration, alongside systematic human rights abuses. This is exacerbated by micro-regional, intersectional, intercultural, and gender-related factors, in a country where violence has become normalized and impacts children from a young age. Notably, Mexico holds a troubling distinction as the global leader in sexual and homicidal violence against children and adolescents. It is crucial to recognize that in this adult-centered society, which espouses human rights rhetoric but often falls short due to its inherent limitations—and structural, cultural, visible and invisible, direct and indirect violence—, children are relegated to the status of citizens without voting rights. Migrant children, in particular, frequently face disdain. The human rights of children and adolescents are systematically disregarded through complicit silences and a systemic pedagogy of cruelty, exclusion and oppression. Who will shape the future of our world, and under what conditions? These children adolescents, who innocently draw colorful monsters and play to express themselves and find confort, “have the right to live a life free from all forms of violence, to have their personal integrities safeguarded, ensuring optimal well-being and unhindered development of their personalities” (Ley General de los Derechos de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes [General Law on the Rights of Children and Adolescents], 2014, article 46).

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