Recent research[1] revealed that a significant number of children joined the streets in Rift Valley Province in Kenya after the brutal violence that followed the 2007 elections in Kenya, many of whom still remain on the streets. In 2011 37%…
Imagine a 12-year-old girl recently settled in a refugee camp with her family. She is the eldest daughter and has five siblings. She tries to help her mother every day with cooking, collecting water, taking care of her younger brothers…
For the International Year of Youth (2010-2011) UNHCR in Costa Rica, together with other UN organisations, civil society and government bodies, set up a project called ‘Links without borders: dialogue for the integration of young migrants, refugees and Costa Ricans’.…
Upon arrival in a country of first asylum, unaccompanied refugee youth, like most refugees, must immediately find a safe place to stay. For young refugees, the urgency to find shelter in an urban environment often means locating someone willing to…
In Liberia, Sierra Leone and northern Uganda, young women’s lives were greatly disrupted by civil war. Part of this disruption was a fracturing in traditionally supportive relationships with family members, elders and peers. This article describes the findings of a…
En Liberia, Sierra Leona y el norte de Uganda, las vidas de las jóvenes resultaron gravemente perturbadas por la guerra civil. Parte de esa perturbación fue la ruptura de las relaciones de apoyo tradicionales entre los miembros de la familia,…
Of central importance to Afghan culture is respect for one’s elders – for parents, grandparents and the eldest siblings in the family unit. Such respect is expressed physically in various ways, from holding indirect or lowered eye contact with an…
Daily life in the nine spontaneous IDP sites in and around the town of Dungu in Haut Uélé District in DRC is characterised by peaceful co-existence and a mutual willingness to share the sometimes scarce resources. But although the IDPs…
Young Sudanese, both Christians and Muslims, arrived in Finland under the government’s quota system between 2001 and 2004, some with their family or other relatives and some on their own. Though many young Sudanese had not in fact lived…
For young people who come to the UK seeking asylum, their movement and access to security and opportunity are determined by the state, its legislation and institutional practice. Their attempts to carry on with life and to build a future…