The Southeast Asian region is a major migration hub comprising countries of origin, destination and transit – with some countries a mix of all three – for a large number of migrants.
Until recently, much of the migration literature focused on the experiences of, and the impact on, migrant adults. Children and their interests have been largely rendered invisible and their agency downplayed. It is within this context that the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (UNICEF EAPRO) commissioned a situation analysis of children affected by migration in ASEAN Member States. The focus of the study is on child protection, which includes an examination of the types of protection risks to which children affected by migration may be exposed and the response of child protection systems and services to these risks.
These case studies focus on specific elements of child protection in different ASEAN contexts, and can be accessed by clicking on the case study names below.
Migration and Family Separation: Needs, challenges and access to services for children remaining behind in Battambang, Cambodia (Dr. Amelia Smith, January 2023)
Migration and Child Protection Risks: Child labour and other protection risks of Migrant children living on palm oil plantations in Sabah, Malaysia (Kara Apland and Rosalie Lord, April 2023)
Migration and Child Protection Responses: Responses to the protection needs of internally displaced children and families in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Philippines (Kirsten Anderson, November 2022)
Migration and Children’s Legal Status: The impact of a lack of domestic legal status on the protection and wellbeing of migrant, urban refugee, and unregistered stateless children in Bangkok, Thailand (Rosalie Lord and Kirsten Anderson, April 2023)
Migration and Risks of Child Trafficking and Exploitation: Drivers beyond poverty and the role of businesses in driving and providing protection against exploitation amongst migrant children, Viet Nam (Dr. Amelia Smith and Professor Dame Carolyn Hamilton, January 2023)
The case studies supplement the full UNICEF regional report; to read the full report, click to Download Document.