One in every 45 children in the world is on the move, according to a report released by the Unicef. Children account for nearly half of the world's refugee population and one-eighth of the total migrant population. The report said the number of child refugees has risen an alarming 77% in five years, and that the majority of the child migrant population hails from Asia, while the United States hosts most of them, followed by Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Thailand, Kuwait and Kazakhstan.
The United Nations body said there are 50 million child migrants in the world, of which around 28 million are victims of regional conflict. Unicef's Karin Hulshof said, "Children of refugees and undocumented migrants are more likely to have their rights compromised than other children, including lack of access to health care and education, discrimination and risks to their personal safety." Hulshof is the director for East Asia and Pacific operations of the body.
The report said children account for more than half of the world's refugees, and half of them are from Syria and Afghanistan, reported The Guardian. Unicef’s Executive Director Anthony Lake said, "Though many communities and people around the world have welcomed refugee and migrant children, xenophobia, discrimination, and exclusion pose serious threats to their lives and futures."
According to the report made public on Wednesday, though fewer children migrate from countries in the Asian continent, they face a more dangerous journey as the route across Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea is more dangerous than the ones into Europe across the Mediterranean. The Unicef has planned a summit on the refugee crisis at the General Assembly in New York on September 19.
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