A First of Its Kind Measure to Protect Children

Center research director Jacqueline Bhabha has co-drafted the newly released Recommended Principles for Children on the Move and Other Children Affected by Migration. The Principles were developed via a consultative process with a large number of experts from the United Nations, academia, donor agencies, and civil society organizations.

The Principles are written with clarity and concision and agreed on by all major stakeholders. As such, they are the first of their kind. Many of the Principles are binding obligations that have already been ratified by many countries. However, their implementation has so far been markedly poor.

In restating the Principles in this form, partner organizations hope to provide policymakers and other stakeholders with a workable tool to guide their efforts to meet the needs of vulnerable children on the move as well as others affected by migration.

The Principles are meant to improve the quality of protection afforded to children by informing programming, accountability, advocacy, and communication. The document takes note of the recommendations set out in the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s 2012 Day of General Discussion Report, “The Rights of All Children in the Context of International Migration.”

The Principles are a non-branded and widely available tool. They can be downloaded in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic at http://principlesforcom.jimdo.com/.