Putting adolescents and youth at the centre
Nearly 90% of the world’s youth live in poorer countries. The well-recognised connection between poverty, violent conflict and forced migration means that adolescents and youth often constitute the majority of both displaced and host populations. In violent conflict, it is…
Unable to see the future: refugee youth in Malawi speak out
In Malawi, 45km north of the capital city of Lilongwe, lies the Dzaleka refugee camp, home to approximately 15,000 refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and Ethiopia. As a signatory to the…
Not inheriting the past
In certain situations second-generation forced migrants may be expected and even encouraged to inherit ‘the rage of their ancestors’.[1] My research into notions of identity and belonging in second-generation Lebanese who were brought up abroad after their parents were forced…
Marrying on credit: the burden of bridewealth on refugee youth
Having spent 15 years in Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya, Peter – by then in his late 20s – decided to return to Nyal, the village in southern Sudan[1] where he was born. While in Kakuma, Peter had met…
Participation of adolescents in protection: dividends for all
Based on the information currently available, some 47% of UNHCR’s global caseload is thought to be children and adolescents under the age of 18. In some refugee camp settings, in particular in East and Horn of Africa, children and adolescents…
Young and separated from their families in eastern Congo
About 62 youths aged between 7 and 22, all separated from their families, are currently living within a church community in Ango town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Some live with foster families, others by themselves in tiny shelters…
From rural Colombia to urban alienation
The great majority of young people in the Department of Antioquia who are forcibly displaced migrate to its capital, Medellín, where the population is now over six times the size it was 50 years ago. This migration removes them from…
Challenging some assumptions about ‘refugee youth’
Many children and young people who live with peers have greater access to resources and decision-making power than many of those who live in families and households where an adult is present. The research presented in this article – carried…
What it means to be young and displaced
It all began when I was 25 years old. Up until that time, I had lived in Colombia in apparent peace but in 2008 something new and tragic occurred. My future in Colombia died when members of my family were…