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A Background Guide for
The Child Refugee Crisis
Director
Arianna Marrou
Assistant Directors
Ana Cristina Yañez,
Matías Penny & Carla
Maeda
Cambridge College Model United Nations Saturday 2nd June & Sunday 3rd June 2018
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Table of Contents
Introduction Letter from Secretary General ............................................................................. 2
Letter from the Chair ............................................................................................................... 3
Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................ 4
History of the Problem ............................................................................................................. 4
Current Situation ..................................................................................................................... 9
Relevant UN Actions ............................................................................................................... 14
QARMAS ................................................................................................................................. 15
Bloc Positions ......................................................................................................................... 16
Position Paper Requirements ................................................................................................ 18
Closing Remarks .................................................................................................................... 18
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 18
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A Letter from the Secretary-General
Dear Delegates,
On behalf of Cambridge College, the hard-working Chairs,
and my fellow members of the Secretariat, it is of my
utmost pleasure to welcome you to the second edition of
the Cambridge College Model United Nations (CCMUN).
This event would not have been possible without the
enormous initiative taken by last year’s Secretariat and
Chairs whom Cambridge College is extremely proud of.
On this edition the CCMUN committees will be addressing
topics ranging from modern issues to dynamic historical
events, in which you as delegates must try to reach the
most diplomatic solutions. Always keep in mind,
delegates, seek for the same entertainment that your
chairs had while making the research on the topics and
never forget to spread diplomacy and respect amongst
yourselves. Having been part of the CCMUN for some time
and having participated in the first edition of the event I
have seen the inner change in this small “club” my
predecessors have created to what now is a delegation
capable of hosting an MUN conference. Cambridge
College has never been a hyper competitive, aggressive
delegation when it comes to debate and that’s why we
intend to keep this conference as an easy going one, we
intend to keep a conference recognized for its diplomatic
and respectful environment, but still rewarding delegates
for their achievement in solving real UN world problems.
The CCMUN crew and I wish all of you the best of lucks
and that the updates are ever on your favour. I hope you
all are as thrilled we are for this conference and I hope you
all enjoy it as much as we enjoyed organizing it.
Yours truly,
Mariano Morón
Secretary General
Mariano Moron
Secretary-General
Camila Abram
Under Secretary-General
Daniela Andaluz
Director Secretary-General
Andrea Morante
Press Coordinator
Julian Walter
MUN Advisor
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A Letter from the Chair
Dear Delegates, Welcome to CCMUN 2018! I’m Arianna Marrou and it’s my privilege to be the director for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Outside model UN I enjoy playing tennis, reading, dancing, watching Netflix and procrastinating just a bit. I can tell you that I’m truly excited for conference this year; this topic is an issue i’m particularly very passionate about and I am sure you will all have interesting, informed contributions to committee. My journey with MUN started three years ago, when I was invited to assist as an observer to VMMUN. I was impressed by how MUN created such a unique platform to discuss real-world issues in a constructive and collaborative way, even with the presence of different postures and policies. Since then I have enrolled in various national and international conferences, including Harvard Model United Nations 2017 & 2018. MUN has given me the opportunity to learn about different cultures as well as make friends from all over the world. I believe model UN is an eye opening experience, that definitely helps anyone who participate to develop not only oral and negotiating skills, but also to construct a mindset and a more critical view of world issues. ECOSOCs are my favorite type of committees, not only because they have a social outlook, but also because they are not very large committees which allows delegates to have a more in depth debate. This year we will be discussing the Child Refugee Crisis, a topic that will allow you to delve into many sub-issues that I hope you are able to acknowledge and come up with creative resolutions to. Whether you are an experienced delegate or if this is your first MUN conference, my goal is for the committee to be an enriching and enjoyable time for all of you. I want you all to push yourselves and surpass your own self-expectations, but I also want to remind you to have fun and not stress! Don’t be shy, and don’t be afraid to raise up your voice! And once again I’m incredibly excited for this year’s CCMUN. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach me out, I’m always available to help and I am really looking forward to getting to know you all! With love, Arianna Marrou
Arianna Marrou
Director
Ana Cristina Yañez
Assistant Director
Matías Penny
Assistant Director
Carla Maeda
Assistant Director
Julian Walter
MUN Advisor
[unicefccmun@gmail.com]
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Statement of the Problem
Movement is part of life and living on. For children who are seeking asylum in countries that
they hope will protect them, being on the move brings challenges and opportunities, risks
and danger, where many others make decisions about them, as they decide for themselves
how to go on, and how to be still, in the contexts and processes that surround them. Their
movements from danger to safety are part of greater migratory flows that generate life,
death, and uncertainty depending on the contexts of reception, resettlement or return.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are over
65.6 million individuals who were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution,
conflict, violence, or human rights violations. This is the largest known number of refugees
for the past two decades. Among these asylum seekers there are nearly 22.5 million refugees,
over half of whom are children [1].
Of this population, child refugees are among some of the most vulnerable. From the forced
nature of their displacement and the potential violence and conflict these children have to
endure, to the difficulties they face in accessing education, health and other basic services in
host countries, child refugees are increasingly being left behind in the global development
process.
No matter why they move or how they arrive, children are at the centre of the world’s
population movements. No matter their condition or status, they are always children:
entitled to protection, support and all the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights
of the Child (CRC). Children have a right to be protected, to keep learning and to receive the
care and services they need to reach their full potential. Every child has the same rights, and
they retain those rights no matter where they are.
When children are given the opportunities to succeed, both their country of origin as wells as
its host nation can benefit from their skills, creativity as well as multicultural view of the
world. Thus the UNICEF believes the global community cannot afford to ignore either the
needs of these children or the opportunities they present, since they are the future of our
society.
History of the problem
World War I
While the phenomenon of people fleeing their homes due to war or persecution has not been
limited to modern times, the emergence of refugees as a recognized population began early
in the twentieth century. During World War I, Germany invaded Belgium forcing thousands
of families to flee away, and while ‘Belgium was invaded by an army; Holland was invaded by
people’[4]. Belgium felt the consequences immediately. Refugees fled from Antwerp and
other towns and cities during September and October 1914. Their first destination was the
Netherlands, whose population of 6.3 million was swollen by one million Belgian refugees,
half of whom crossed the frontier at Noord-Brabant. The civilian refugees were spread out
over the entire country and handed over to the care of the Provincial Refugee committees
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(Provinciale Vluchtelingencomités). According to the report of the Central Committee the
number of refugees reached, mainly consisting of women, children and elderly [6] . As the
war continued some wives of Belgian soldiers who had been interned earlier fled to The
Netherlands, brought their children with them, to be close to their husbands. They had to
cross the frontier, otherwise known as the “Dodendraad” (‘Wire of Death’), where children
ran unimaginable risks. Around 250,000 Belgian refugees fled to the UK [7]. The Belgian
refugees included at least 33,000 children between ages 5 and 14 (de Jastrzebski, 1916 as
cited in Myers, 2001: 155; Kushner and Knox, 1999: 48). Many refugees returned home or
enlisted in the armed forces, but 160,000 Belgian refugees remained on UK registers at the
end of 1916, the number dropping only slightly before the war ended. In the course of the war
one in seven Belgian civilians had become a refugee [8].
Following the Serbian military defeat, it is estimated that between 18,000 - 27,000 serbians
died in the journey towards Greece and temporary freedom in 1915. Some 3,000 Serbian
children went to France and, to relieve the pressure, the Serbian Relief Fund hoped to bring
600 of them to Britain. Due to a lack of resources and the negative attitude of the British
government, in 1916 only roughly half that number was given temporary refuge. The
government feared the children would be unsuited to life in Britain and would be a drain on
resources. A senior Foreign Office official in September 1917 noted ‘We were ourselves
always opposed to these boys being brought to England, but Mrs [Carrington] Wilde [of the
Serbian Relief Fund] insisted upon it’ [9]. Many of these children had fought alongside
adults and had witnessed war at its most barbaric. Yet despite the fears of the government
and others, the Serbian children adapted quickly in Britain and soon excelled in their
studies, winning academic prizes and succeeding in sport.
World War II
Historians cite September 1, 1939; the day Germany invaded Poland, as the outbreak of
World War II. The Holocaust however, started long before the fight began. The United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. defines the event as: “[T]he
systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the
Nazi regime and its collaborators…During the era of the Holocaust, German authorities also
targeted other groups because of their perceived "racial inferiority": Roma (Gypsies), the
disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples (Poles, Russians, and others). Other groups were
persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral grounds, among them Communists,
Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals.” This event did not happen
spontaneously, but as described by historian Marilyn Harran, was “the most profound
expression of the anti-Semitism that had flourished in Germany and other European nations
for centuries [10].”In 1933 the Nazi party took complete control of the government. Initially
new laws were passed that restricted the amount of property Jewish citizens could own, the
types of professions they could work in, how much money they could keep in their homes,
and so on. In 1935, a series of legislation called the Nuremberg Laws came into being that
placed further restrictions on German Jews. The breaking point was Kristalnacht or the
Night of Broken Glass, a nationwide organized attack on jews. Across Germany 100
synagogues were burned down, 300 jews were killed, and 30,000 men were rounded up to
spend the week on “holiday camps”. One third of jews left. Still it was as difficult to leave as
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to stay. Other countries put limits on refugees. Queues at foreign embassies stretched round
the block [11].
Kinder transport
Following the devastating episode known as Kristallnacht the British government eased
immigration restrictions for certain categories of Jewish refugees. Spurred by British public
opinion and the persistent efforts of refuge aid committees, the British authorities agreed to
allow an unspecified number of children under the age of 17 to enter Great Britain from
Germany and German-annexed territories (that is, Austria and the Czech lands).
Organizations and citizens had to assure the payment of each child’s care, education and
eventual journey to Great Britain. The British government provided temporary visas to the
children and allowed the unaccompanied child refugee’s entry to the nation. The first
Kindertransport arrived in Harwich, Great Britain, on December 2, 1938. It brought some
200 children from a Jewish orphanage in Berlin which had been destroyed in the
Kristallnacht pogrom [12]. In the nine months before World War II began, nearly 10,000
Jewish children were saved [13]. After the transports arrived in Harwich, children with
sponsors went to London to meet their foster families. Children without sponsors were
housed in a summer camp in Dovercourt Bay and in other facilities until individual families
agreed to care for them or until hostels could be organized to care for larger groups of
children. In all, the rescue operation brought about 9,000-10,000 children from Germany,
Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland to Great Britain. Some 7,500 of these children were
Jewish [14]. Sadly, on 3 September 1939, all of the transports to Britain stopped. On this day,
a train carrying over 200 Kinder was prevented from leaving its platform in Prague. The
children did not make it to freedom.
Most kids could not speak English when they arrived, and were not acquainted with British
customs. Often, they came from different social, political and economic backgrounds to their
foster families. Some of the children also had to adapt to being brought up in Christian
households. Foster families were very supportive of the Kinder in the main, but occasionally
used them as domestics. The Kinder quickly learned English and many threw themselves
into their studies. Sometimes, however, they had to face hostility at school. In the course of
the war, which began in September 1939, the Kinder became double refugees when they were
evacuated to the countryside to escape from the bombings. For a second time, the Kinder
had to adapt to: being separated from adults, leaving home, relocating to unfamiliar
surroundings, wearing labels around their neck and being placed in new schools [16].
A wave of sympathy hit the U.S.A too; Sen. Robert Wagner, Democrat of New York, and Rep.
Edith Nourse Rogers, Republican of Massachusetts; jointly introduced a bill to admit 20,000
unaccompanied child refugees, 14 or younger, into the United States. The bill stipulated that
the costs of caring for the children would be borne by the private sector and, crucially, that
the refugees admitted would not count against the quotas limiting U.S. immigration. A
number of prominent Americans threw their weight behind the bill: bishops and actors,
former President Herbert Hoover, and New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. Even the first
lady let her support be known. “It seems to me the humanitarian thing to do,” Eleanor
Roosevelt said at a press conference when asked about the bill. A Gallup poll from January
1939 asked if Americans would support bringing even 10,000 German refugee children into
the country, public opinion ran 2:1 against. President Roosevelt did not support the entry of
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refugees; further, he believed that the Wagner-Rogers Bill had no chance to win a
congressional vote. The only likely way for the children to enter would have been a
presidential executive order, which Roosevelt was not willing to issue since he felt that it
would be an unpopular decision during an election cycle. He believed in a more
comprehensive solution for the refugee crisis in the form of settlement projects, but for the
Jews who had to leave Germany in early 1939, this approach did not solve their problem.
When it became obvious that the Wagner-Rogers Bill would fail to win a majority in
Congress, the draft text was fundamentally changed to propose that the children immigrate
within the quota and thus at the expense of adults for whom emigration might have meant
liberation from concentration camps. Wagner, who found this unacceptable, withdrew his
proposal [17].
Other initiatives to save German Jewish children by emigration were also attempted. In
Denmark, for example, 320 children between the ages of fourteen and sixteen were accepted
[18]. In Holland 1,500 children who were accommodated in homes were reported to have
been accepted in March 1939. Because the government regarded their stay as transitory, they
were not allowed to be placed with families or attend ordinary schools [19]. During the first
half of 1939, 300–400 children entered France. In Switzerland in June 1939, the Comité
Suisse was caring for between 1,000–1,300 children [20].
The Partition of India
The Partition of India split British India into the countries of India and Pakistan in 1947.
This partition was part of the end of British rule over the Indian subcontinent, called British
Raj. At midnight on 14/15 August 1947, the largest recorded forced migration began. Millions
of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs were forced to journey hundreds of miles, with many
experiencing brutal violence, as the Indian subcontinent was divided into two independent
nation states: Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. The communities that
once coexisted erupted into violence. Trains filled with refugees crossing the border were
stopped and every man, woman and child on board slaughtered. This kids were also
witnesses of train massacres, seeing corpses and decapitated heads, watching parents and
other family members attacked and murdered; when they made their way to their New
homes. According to the Punjab police chief at the time, over 100,000 abducted women and
children were found to be ‘missing’ in the province. A confidential memo of the Pakistan
government titled “Recovery of abducted women, children and converts”, stated that “as the
moment of refugees continued over a period of weeks and months, it became increasingly
clear that large numbers of women and children have been left behind on either side”[21].
Katherine Cox, a British missionary worker, representing the Church Mission Society, visited
Amritsar’s St Catherine Hospital on 22 September 1947 and wrote in her diary log that day,
“most of children had been found beside their murdered mothers and some were injured
themselves with cuts”[22]. Children’s circumstances varied considerably. Some were left
behind; others were separated from the families; some reunited with their relatives. Many
died in the camps due to malnutrition and diseases; some orphans were quickly adopted out
by the individual families. The theme of adoption was perhaps best expressed in the ‘New
History of Partition’ by Urvashi Butalia: “The small boys were sought out by women and
men, not looking for a child to love and care for, but for labour. These children became work
mules and servants”. Often assumptions are made that many children ended up in ‘brothels’
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and in the street ‘begging’.[23] In West Punjab, there were frantic demands that the
government must take the responsibility of women and children upon itself. It would be
however wrong to assume that all the ‘unaccompanied’ children at partition. But not all
children ended up in this way; some were looked after by welfare organizations and charities.
While official records can provide some insights into state responses, they cannot shed light
on the feelings of the orphans themselves. Psychologists say that traumas inflicted on minors
leave deep scars. One can only guess at the burdens carried by some of the orphans and
ordinary people for the remainder of their lives.
War in Syria
Since the year 2000, Syria has been ruled by Bashar al-Assad, a dictator who goes under the
name of “president”, but in reality is a person with complete and uttermost control over the
country. Since Bashar al-Assad came to power, he has taken measures to assure his power
will perdure, despite how unhappy and miserable Syrians are with his rule. In 2011, it
seemed like the Middle East might be caught up in a revolution, or change of government, as
many young people began to protest dictators and demand democratic governments. This
period was called the Arab Spring, but it did not result in changes in Syria. Instead, al-Assad
clamped down on protesters, even killing those who spoke out against him. Pro-democracy
protests erupted in March 2011 in the southern city of Deraa after the arrest and torture of
some teenagers who painted revolutionary slogans on a school wall. After security forces
opened fire on demonstrators, killing several, more took to the streets. The unrest triggered
nationwide protests demanding President Assad's resignation. The government's use of force
to crush the dissent merely hardened the protesters' resolve. By July 2011, hundreds of
thousands were taking to the streets across the country. Opposition supporters eventually
began to take up arms, first to defend themselves and later to expel security forces from their
local areas [26]. As rebel groups splintered and more radical groups began to gain footing,
the door opened for the Islamic State of Iraq and Shaam (ISIS) to come into power.[27]
Beginning with the capture of Raqqa in April 2013 [28], ISIS quickly gained territory and
followers from around the world, who flocked to Syria and Iraq to join ranks of the terrorist
group. Known for violent murders, enslavement of conquered people, and terrorist attacks
around the world, the rise of ISIS exacerbated the crisis in Syria. Millions of people were
already fleeing the country and between the civil war, ISIS, and other rebel in-fighting, and
the situation became dire and so multi-fronted that international interventions often end up
only adding to the chaos. The threat of ISIS did cause a more substantial international
response, but countries were and are still hesitant to take active positions in the Syrian Civil
War. According to the UN, by June 2013 90,000 people had been killed, and by August 2015
that figure had risen by 250,000. Unfortunately, the plight of the Syrian people is often
forgotten about. Millions of men, women and children are externally and internally displaced
with many risking their lives to flee to Europe. By the summer of 2015 there was a full crisis
in Europe because so many refugees were pouring west, many having crossed from Turkey to
Greece in tiny, very dangerous boats [29].
The situation in Syria is constantly in flux and, as of today, there does not seem to be any end
in sight. As an aside, I highly encourage you to continue to keep up to date on the situation in
Syria because there may be major changes between the time this background guide is
published and the conference. I included this background on Syria because I believe it is
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important to understand that context in which we will be working in this committee. I hope
you can now see the complexity of the causes of this war and refugee crisis and understand
how simple solutions will not be enough to solve this problem.
Current Situation
At an age in which most kids need supervision to complete their homework, thousands of
unaccompanied minors are crossing continents alone.
Today he refugee population is also one of the youngest with over half being children [30].
This in turn means that globally, today nearly 1 in every 200 children is a refugee [31]. These
numbers have seen a dramatic increase in the past several years. From 2005 to 2015, the
number of child refugees under UNHCR’s protection jumped from 4 million to over 8 million
[32]. Between 2010 and 2015 this number rose by 77%. Considering that today nearly 250
million children live in regions affected by conflict, it is likely that the number of child
refugees will continue to rise. The escalation in the number of child refugees has also led to
an increase in the number of children fleeing and seeking refuge alone. According to
Eurostat, since 2008 nearly 200,000 unaccompanied minors have applied for asylum in
Europe, 100,000 of them for 2015 alone [33].
It is important to emphasize that there is equal representation of girls and boys in the
refugee population [34], which implies that the causes leading children to leave their
homelands affect both boys and girls alike. However, the experiences of fleeing a country
have a differential impact associated with the age of the child. It was previously assumed that
young children do not suffer the consequences of being uprooted. However, the neuroscience
research has shown that brain development, which occurs during early childhood, is
extremely sensitive to toxic stress [35].
The outflow of child refugees is concentrated geographically in many regions, In the current
century, three quarters of all child refugees come from ten countries mostly in Africa and
Asia and over 50% come from the Syrian Arab Republic and Afghanistan [36].
I. Current Crises
a. Syrian Child Refugee Crisis
It's one thing to see the statistics. After 7 years of war, Syria is now the #1 most dangerous
country to be a child. Not only that, but grave child rights violations continue. That means
killing, maiming, sexual violence, abduction, recruitment into combat, attacks on schools
and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access (Save the Children, 2018). Since the onset
of the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic, more than 5.3 million people, including 2.5
million children, have been living as registered refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq
and Egypt (UNHCR data portal, 26 November 2017). More than 90 per cent of these
refugees are living in host communities and facing challenging socio-economic conditions,
including high poverty rates (Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2018-2019), high costs of
living, limited livelihood opportunities and the exhaustion of savings. These circumstances
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have led to negative coping practices—such as removing children from school, particularly
girls, to work or marry—further exacerbating existing protection risks.
In September 2017, the United Nations Refugees Agency (UNCHR) announced that
staggering numbers of refugee children do not have access to education. Of the 17.2 million
refugees under UNCHR’s mandate, 6.4 million are of school age. In 2016, more than half of
them, 3.5 million children, did not go to school 1.5 Million of those school-aged children are
Syrian refugees living in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon [37]. Although there has been a vast
improvement and education is becoming more accessible, at least 530.000 Syrian children
living in these countries are still out of school [38]. This problem is largely due to insufficient
funding and to restrictive refugee policies. In 2016, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported
that globally, less than 2 per cent of donor support was allocated to education in emergencies
[39]. On top of that, most of these funds go to primary education, rendering access to
secondary education for refugee children even more uncertain than to primary education.
Education can also play a key role in the improvement of children’s mental health. A sense of
normalcy, safety and routine are crucial to children’s development. Without schools and
other support programs, there is a higher risk that children will suffer from depression, will
become withdrawn and will begin feeling hopeless about their future [40].
The recent bombing of Syria by the U.S.A had a dramatic and perjuring effect on Syrian
refugee children. The gas attack in Syria has killed families in their homes. At least 42 people
are dead, including infants and toddlers, and another 500 are injured (UNICEF, 2018).
According to UNICEF statistics this year, more than 5 million Syrian refugee children will
require education assistance 3.8 million will require protection support and 7.5 million will
be in need of health assistance. The status of Syrian refugee children is of emergency.
Children are facing the risk of losing their lives because of the chemical weapons launched
because of the war. It is essential to take urgent actions on the matter before it is too late.
b. Child Refugee Crisis in Rohingaya
The Rohingya, who numbered around one million in Myanmar at the start of 2017, are one of
the many ethnic minorities many countries. Rohingya Muslims represent the largest
percentage of Muslims in Myanmar, with the majority living in Rakhine state. They have
their own language and culture and say they are descendants of Arab traders and other
groups who have been in the region for generations. But the government of Myanmar, a
predominantly Buddhist country, denies the Rohingya citizenship and even excluded them
from the 2014 census, refusing to recognize them as a people. It sees them as illegal
immigrants from Bangladesh. At least 6,700 Rohingya, including at least 730 children under
the age of five, were killed in the month after the violence broke out, according to “Medecins
Sans Frontieres” (MSF). Amnesty International says the Myanmar military also raped and
abused Rohingya women and girls. This is being named as one of the worse ethnic cleansing
cases. The plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people is said to be the world's
fastest growing refugee crisis. Risking death by sea or on foot, more than half a million have
fled the destruction of their homes and persecution in the northern Rakhine province of
Myanmar (Burma) for neighboring Bangladesh since August 2017. Myanmar's military says
it is fighting Rohingya militants and denies targeting civilians [41].
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"Houses were burning. There were rocket launchers. They were killing people after arresting
them, that’s why we fled here.” This are the words from Umme, a 12 year old living in a
Rohingayan refugee camp. This is a story no child should tell. Yet, it’s an all-too-familiar one
in the Bangladesh refugee settlements, where UNICEF is helping Rohingya survivors of what
UN Human Rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has deemed “a textbook example of ethnic
cleansing.” More than 520,000 vulnerable Rohingya children like her are living in the path
of a looming threat. With monsoon season approaching, the overcrowded camps they call
home ran the risk of being swept away. Situated on land cleared for the influx of 390,000
Rohingya since August, the refugees' new homes are tents perched on barren hillsides that
the coming rains will turn to mud. Landslides could claim countless lives, and severe
flooding destroy the camps’ fragile sanitation infrastructure, contaminating the water supply.
For families living in cramped quarters, cholera outbreaks and other waterborne illnesses are
all too likely. UNICEF is now mobilizing to keep Rohingya children safe, healthy and dry
during cyclone season. Vital infrastructure is being reinforced and medical supplies
prepositioned to handle the rise of illnesses like cholera — an acute diarrhoeal disease that
can kill a child within hours if not treated. The water supply is being treated, and supplies
families will need to keep their water safe and clean — hygiene kits, water purification
tablets, chlorine, soap and buckets — stockpiled. Vaccination teams are administering the
oral cholera vaccine to 1.1 million people, and community volunteers are fanning out to
educate families about how to protect themselves. But it’s a race against time to spare Umme
and Rohingya refugee children like her another fight for their lives. “I’ve been in some
difficult places,” says Martin Worth, UNICEF’s Head of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
(WASH) for Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. “But this could get so much worse. What is already a
dire humanitarian situation could become a catastrophe.”[42]
c. Venezuelan Refugee Crisis
Venezuela is in an economic free fall. As a result of government-led mismanagement and
corruption, the currency value is plummeting, prices are hyperinflated, and gross domestic
product (GDP) has fallen by over a third in the last five years. In an economy that produces
little except oil, the government has cut imports by over 75 percent, choosing to use its hard
currency to service the roughly $140 billion in debt and other obligations. These economic
choices have led to a humanitarian crisis. Basic food and medicines for Venezuela’s
approximately thirty million citizens are increasingly scarce, and the devastation of the
health-care system has spurred outbreaks of treatable diseases and rising death rates.
President Nicolas Maduro is pushing the nation toward authoritarianism, shutting down the
free press, marginalizing the opposition-led legislature, barring opposition parties from
participating in elections, and imprisoning political opponents [43].
This humanitarian and economic crisis, combined with rising political persecution, has
forced millions of Venezuelans to flee away. The number of Venezuelans seeking asylum has
increased yearly since 2014. Between 2014 2017, around 99,000 asylum claims were lodged,
half of which in 2017 alone (as of September). The primary receiving countries of Venezuelan
asylum seekers in the region between 2014 and 2017 have been: USA: 46,000, Brazil:
16,500, Peru: 9,500; Costa Rica: 3,300 and Panama: 3,000. Considering the evolving
situation in Venezuela, it is projected that people will continue to leave the country over the
coming months [44].
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Children migrating from Venezuela don’t have the strength to endure the journey away from
their nation, since they are severely malnourished. The government fails to provide families
with food, in fact, according to the “Encuesta Nacional de Condiciones de Vida Venezuela
2016” by Venezuelan universities, nine out of 10 households in the country were “food
insecure." But it appears to be affecting infants at an overwhelming rate. The number of
children under the age of 1 who died increased 30 percent in 2015, according to a Ministry of
Health report which was later removed by the government. Women and children are flocking
to the Colombian border town of Cúcuta in desperate need of medical care, food and shelter.
Mothers sometimes leave children behind to be looked after by fathers and other family
members. Pregnant women make treacherous, daylong journeys for medical care. Others
have left behind their normal lives to ensure their children will have a meal the next day [45].
II. Repercussions of the Problem
a. Mental Health Crisis
Children, who comprise at least a quarter of asylum seekers, are exposed to numerous risk
factors for psychological disturbance, including exposure to violence, forced displacement,
and multiple losses [46] Refugee children suffer both from the effects of coming from a war-
zone and of adjusting to an unfamiliar culture. These stressors also affect their families [47].
Moreover, consistent research findings show that as the number of risk factors accumulates
for children, the likelihood that they will develop psychological disturbance dramatically
increases [48]. Studies of children in exile show that the prevalence of emotional and
behavioral disorders is high, with the most frequent diagnostic categories being post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety with sleep disorders, and depression [49]. A meta-
analysis of data from 7,920 children affected by war found that 4.5 to 89.3 % of children met
criteria for PTSD with an overall pooled estimate of 47 %, 43 % met criteria for depression,
and 27 % met criteria for a non-PTSD anxiety disorder [50] According to the The European
Journal of Public Health, there is a lack of trauma and mental health screening and
measurement tools developed directly for refugee youth, especially for young refugees below
the age of six. The improvements in the development and/or adaptation of mental health
tools are of uttermost importance. This is necessary because mental health specialists are
using tools that aren’t validated nor follow the guidelines to detect mental health problems
in children. [51]. Detection and treatment of mental health issues among refugee children
and youth should be a priority both within the scientific community and in practice in order
to reduce morbidity and mortality.
b. Acculturation and Adaptation
Acculturation has been described as a dynamic process in which groups and individuals
experience cultural and psychological change [52]. Common components of acculturation
involve learning a new language, norms, and customs, and becoming familiar with the
mainstream culture. Refugee students face immeasurable academic challenges in their
adjustment to their new environments. They frequently suffer from marginalization and
discrimination), social alienation (Davies, 2008;, lack of adult support, and difficulties
accessing education. Refugee and asylum children and youth confront the bureaucracy and
expectations of schooling and must often quickly learn to navigate a system whose policies
and standards are unfamiliar and unknown. Few resettled refugees experience school
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programs that provide resources to meet their unique academic and linguistic needs.
However, under the right conditions, education may help rebuild academic, social, and
emotional well-being. Furthermore, refugees typically maintain high aspirations and
optimism regarding schooling, which is a valuable educational resource. Schools need to
learn how to develop welcoming learning communities for newcomers [53].
Whether their new homes are temporary or permanent, the future success of migrating and
displaced children relies heavily on whether they are welcomed in those new homes.
Research indicates that children are most likely to directly encounter discrimination in
school settings, often in the form of insults, unfair treatment, exclusion and threats [54].
Children who face these forms of discrimination and exclusion experience a range of direct
repercussions such as distrust, hopelessness and problematic behaviors, as well as negative
longer- term attitudes about schooling and their own potential.[Ibid, p1.]
Outside the classroom, migrant and refugee children and families can be subject to a wide
array of discriminatory practices and behaviors that hinder their ability to settle into a new
home. In many contexts, legal barriers continue to prevent migrant and refugee children
from receiving services on an equal basis with other children. Even when legal barriers are
removed, misinformation, prejudice and xenophobia continue to stand between children and
the services they are entitled to receive. These problems can be intensified by formal and
informal separation of refugee and other migrant families from host communities, making it
more difficult to acquire relevant language and cultural skills or employment to overcome
intense poverty.
In the worst cases, xenophobia may escalate to direct attacks. According to the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe, asylum reception centers throughout Europe have
been repeatedly subjected to direct attack. In Germany alone, the Government tracked 850
attacks against refugee shelters in 2015 [55].
c. Legal Status of Refugee Children
Bearing in mind children are faced with numerous amounts of threats while in the search for
asylum, the UNHCR adopted a Policy on Refugee Children in October 1993. Synthetizing, the
UNHCR was seeking to make clear that children are vulnerable, dependent and developing.
This way, the difference between adults and children refugees is clearly stated, making it
easier for authorities to take action regarding these minors. It is required for delegates to
acknowledge that most children in search for asylum enter countries without company and
illegally. It is a necessity to discuss what are the responsibilities of different governments in
the specific cases of illegal families with their children. It is stressed for the delegates to
explore the possibilities of temporal visas or other alternatives to help solve these types of
problems with optimum efficiency.
What should the legal status of refugee children be? It is essential for different countries to
adapt their policies in order to find the most humane solutions without withering their own
countries economy nor creating social controversy among their populations. Even though
refugee children are one of the troubles regarding refugee crises themselves, it is requested
from the delegates to focus solely on the refugee children and not to get off tracks. However,
it is important for delegates to adapt solutions that won’t disturb other countries’ aspects
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while still concentrating on the children. Refugee children may come with families or alone.
How will laws and policies differ from these children with families from unaccompanied
minors? Some countries may not be able to offer asylum or proper care to children, therefore
it is of uttermost importance to point out how substantial it is for host nations to establish
laws regarding refugee minors.
It is thanks to laws that order is kept in place and work is done efficiently. Due to officially
imposing a statement or making a legal status legit, is that different countries may be able to
take an optimum approach.
Relevant UN Actions
The right to seek and enjoy asylum in a foreign territory is guaranteed in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, Art. 14(1)), which was adopted in 1948 [. This was the
first step taken by the UN regarding the status of refugees. But it wasn’t until 1950, and after
WWII left around 400,000 people homeless, that refugees started strewing across Europe.
In 1950, the ambitious new global institution, the UN, created the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR). The UNHCR has two principal functions: to provide international
protection to refugees within its competence and to seek durable solutions for them in co-
operation with governments. The UNHCR is founded in the principle of non-refoulement
which means that States may not return a refugee to a country where his or her life or
freedom would be threatened Safeguarding refugees’ basic human rights (including
economic and social rights) in countries of asylum, and ensuring treatment as near as
possible to that of local citizens. A corresponding article in the 1951 Convention relating to
the Status of Refugees, Article 35, entitled Co-operation of the national authorities with the
United Nations, states as follows:
“(1) The Contracting States undertake to co-operate with the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees…in the exercise of its functions, and shall in particular
facilitate its duty of supervising the application of the provision of this Convention.”
The 1951 Convention and its 1967 Optional Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees was
one of the centerpieces to confront the growing issue of refugees. While all legal provisions in
the 1951 Convention apply to refugee children and youths, too, there are no child- or youth -
specific provisions included in this instrument. It wasn’t until the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was established, that provisions for refugee
children were explicitly mentioned in Article 22. This convention was launched mainly with
the cooperation of the UNICEF and it became the most widely- and rapidly-accepted human
rights treaty in history. In Article 22, special protection and procedures rights are accorded
to refugee children to enjoy the rights declared in the UNCRC and other international
treaties applicable to them, whether unaccompanied or accompanied by their parents or by
any other person. [56]
In 1987, the UN Executive Committee requested a set of guidelines (Conclusion No. 47.), and
the 1988 "Guidelines on Refugee Children" was published. In 1991, the Guidelines were
evaluated in two reports, one by the International Save the Children Alliance in cooperation
with UNHCR, and the other by the U.S. Bureau for Refugee Programs. In 1993, the "UNHCR
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Policy on Refugee Children" (reprinted in Annex A) was presented to and welcomed by the
Executive Committee [57].
Furthermore, in order to improve and enhance the protection and care of refugee children,
the UNHCR adopted a Policy on Refugee Children, endorsed by the UNHCR Executive
Committee in October 1993.
The UNHCR works along the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
(UNICEF) to fulfill the needs of refugee children. UNICEF is mandated by the United
Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet
their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is
guided by the UNCRC and strives to establish children’s rights as legal obligations, ensuring
ethical principles and international standards of behavior towards children. UNICEF is
committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children. Advocating
for child rights is a core function of both UNICEF as an international organization and
UNICEF National Committees in industrialized countries. As articulated in the UNICEF
Child Protection Strategy [58], “UNICEF will promote child protection through advocacy in
both developed and developing countries through research and evidence, existing
partnerships and new opportunities.”
Since the start of its response in 2015, UNICEF has provided 261,000 refugee and migrant
children with a range of services. In 2017, UNICEF used outreach teams to increase the
identification and referral of at-risk children, reaching more than 15,300 children. An
additional 9,800 children benefitted from psychosocial and community-based child
protection support. More than 4,600 front-line workers in temporary care facilities for
unaccompanied and separated children and reception and asylum centers across the region
received training on child protection standards. UNICEF, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and non-governmental organizations developed the
roadmap 'The Way Forward to Strengthened Policies and Practices for Unaccompanied and
Separated Children in Europe' to support Member States to reinforce related protection
systems. More than 8,700 children aged 6 to 17 years participated in UNICEF-supported
structured non-formal education activities. UNICEF policy support and technical assistance
contributed to the inclusion of some 6,000 children in formal education. UNICEF mobilized
partners to monitor the rights of refugee and migrant children. Joint communication and
advocacy conducted with UNICEF National Committees raised awareness of the situation of
refugee and migrant children and supported their social inclusion. With 148,000 refugee
children in need there’s still much work to be done, a continuous of care and protection is
needed for children on the move, throughout their journeys, given the long-term impact that
this experience will have on their lives [59].
QARMAS
1. What should the legal status of refugee children be? Should they be provided with
provisional or permanent visas? What measures should be taken to protect the rights of
refugee children and ensure their right as established in the UNC?
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2. How should psychological disorders be classified in refugee children? What validated tools
can be used to identify mental health issues in minors?
3. What measures can be taken to combat xenophobia, discrimination and marginalization
in host nations? Should community-based approaches be taken for refugee children to
adapt to their new environment?
4. How can access to education and social protection, be increased for children? Is there any
way we can create opportunities for family income and youth employment?
5. What should the approach of governments and the private sector be, when providing
health, education and shelter to refugee children? In which way can the legal status of
children become an opportunity and not a barrier for giving them access to basic need?
6. What actions can be taken to improve the access to better data on children’s movements
and welfare? What guidelines should researchers and data analytics follow? How can we
make better use of existing data, and share it?
Bloc Positions
I. Africa
Approximately one half of African refugees are children, nearly 3 million children who have
been forced from their own countries and are confronting the world’s harshest realities.
Currently there are 3.4 million refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa, up from 3.1 million in 2012,
and 5.4 million internally displaced people [60]. Furthermore, many African countries, such
as Ethiopia and Kenya, are currently hosting together about 800,000 South Sudanese
refugees. Additionally, in just one year the refugee population in Uganda has more than
doubled from 500,000 to more over 1.25 million, making the country host to the fastest
growing refugee emergency in the world [61].The continent’s expected population growth,
migration will become an increasingly pressing issue for Africa. The best way to capture the
opportunities of Africa’s young and mobile population, while protecting children from its
potential dangers, is by preparing now.
II. South America
The Venezuelan refugee crisis is at the top of the South American agenda. Since the
Venezuelan borders are closed, thousands of children take the risk of negotiating with
smugglers and human traffickers, to get them out of their nation illegally. Reports inform
that unaccompanied minors traveling to different nations, find themselves dragged into
sexual working or are coerced to commit crimes. Although the Venezuelan situation is very
severe, many Venezuelans continue to arrive in neighbouring countries and beyond, in need
of international protection and assistance, particularly access to shelter, health, education,
and other essential services. Host countries and governments receiving Venezuelans have
been working hard to provide an appropriate response; however, they are increasingly
overstretched and need more international support. There has been a 2,000% increase in the
number of Venezuelan nationals seeking asylum worldwide since 2014, principally in the
Americas during the last year. The main countries where Venezuelans are migrating are
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Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Panama and Mexico. In Peru, on the inauguration day, INTERPOL’s
online system in collapsed as nearly 6,000 requests were made on the first hours. According
to INTERPOL, they are granting 120 daily appointments (UNHCR update, March 2018). In
this period of international relations, it would be expected for these countries to take on a
larger role. As for possible solutions, South American countries have the position to be
facilitators due to their unique perspective of having refugee issues but also having
resources.
III. Middle East
Five years of relentless conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic had forced more than 4.9 million
Syrians beyond the country’s borders by the end of 2015, about half of them children.
Another one-third of the population is internally displaced. Syrian children inside and
outside of the country have been subjected to a wide range of abuses, including recruitment
into armed groups, exploitation and abuse, child marriage and the worst forms of child
labor. Half of Syrian refugee children living in neighboring countries are estimated to be out
of school, and children continue to suffer several physical and mental health impacts of war
and displacement. More than half of Syrian refugee children living outside the country were
out of school in March 2016. Refugee children face many challenges in accessing and
succeeding at school, including the denial in access to school because of legal barriers, lack of
documentation, discrimination and language barriers. In Pakistan, there were close to
300,000 refugees originating in Pakistan in 2015. Children accounted for 58 per cent of all
Pakistani-origin refugees, the highest proportion in the region. While this generation of
children in the region faces incredible challenges, they also possess immense potential to
build a new and different future for their countries [62]. Most Middle Eastern states have
similar positions and outlooks as African ones. These countries want to see increased
assistance in their own borders through increased NGO presence as well as more support
from developed countries.
V. Western Countries
Western countries have little to no refugee situations of their own. Furthermore, they have
been criticized by the international community for not hosting as many refugees as they
could. Western states have the disposable income to provide monetary and technological
resources for proposed solutions in UNHCR. The position of Western countries should be
that of innovation and facilitation. In order to assist child refugees as well as keep refugee
populations low in their own countries, Western states will want to provide as much
assistance as possible to improving existing refugee camps’ conditions. Furthermore,
although these countries are geographically separated from many of the world’s most
problematic areas, they should explore solutions to make asylum realistic for refugees.
Finally, these countries’ complex refugee legislations makes asylum difficult, rendering
reforms to these laws is crucial.
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Position Paper Requirements
Delegates are required to write a position paper regarding their country’s position on the
issue and topic. This document must include a paragraph with an introduction and your
country’s situation and position towards the problem. Another paragraph must illustrate
past UN actions and an analysis from the country’s point of view on why these past solutions
have not worked or how they can be improved. Lastly, delegates must address creative and
innovative solutions that respect their country’s policy while trying to solve the ongoing
issue.
Remember that these position papers are the representation of a nation’s position and not a
statement of your personal opinion. Therefore, they should be written formally and in third
person. Position papers should have 1.5 spacing, and be at least one page long. They must be
written in size 12 font, with 1.5 cm margins. You must send your position papers to
unicefccmun@gmail.com.
The content and quality of the papers will be highly taken into consideration when
evaluating the delegates. If delegates fail to send their Position Paper on time, they will not
be able to be eligible for any awards.
Closing Remark
Thank you for reading this study guide! I understand that at a certain point you might have
found it boring, but I really appreciate you have taken the time to read it (unless you skipped
to this section). Over the course of researching about this issue, I have definitely gained a
broader knowledge on the topic, and I hope you will all have a similar experience when
researching. Most of all, I hope you have developed more ideas on possible resolutions on the
topic, and a more depth understanding of this crisis. I’m reeally looking forward to meeting
you in June, listening to your ideas in committee, and watching you put them into action. If
you have any questions or concerns, or if you don’t understand some of the content in the
study guide, do not hesitate to reach out to me. I’m more than happy to help, and I cannot
wait to meet you all!
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[2] Ibid
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[4] Fry, A Quaker Adventure, 100
[5] de Roodt, Oorlogsgasten, 147
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[49] Fazel, Mina & Stein, Alan. (2002). The Mental Health of Refugee Children. Archives of
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[58] UNICEF, Child Protection Strategy, May 2008,
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Recommended