The Rights of Internally Displaced Children: Selected Field Practices from UNICEF’s Experience

Displacement is a critical humanitarian issue—forty million people are displaced as a result of conflict and other humanitarian crises. Approximately half of the world’s displaced persons are children. Children in flight are at greater risk of malnutrition and disease, physical danger, and psychological trauma. Many do not survive. When they do, their ability to lead normal lives is greatly impaired—many have no access to education and health care. This paper examines selected examples from UNICEF’s work in the field with internally displaced persons. UNICEF’s work with internally displaced children and families focuses on four areas: (1) advocacy, (2) assessment, (3) care, and (4) protection. Conclusions and recommendations are presented drawing from the field practices.