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IMMIGRATION AND CHILDREN
Affiliations- Department of Emergency Medicine, Ufuk University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
- Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of HealthScience, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Nursing Department, Trabzon, Türkiye
- Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine
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Abstract
Various economic, political, environmental and social reasons can force people to migrate, leaving their home. Migration, which is as old as human history, has increased because of some reasons such as globalization, wars and natural disasters. Children have constituted a significant proportion of immigrants. According to the report of the United Nations Children’s Fund for 2015, the number of immigrant children living in a different country from the country of their birth is approximately 31 million, of whom about 10 million are refugees around the world.
Children have been obliged to deal with many problems such as hunger, thirst and illness during their migratory journey. In countries to which children migrated to seek asylum, children have been exposed to a great deal of abuse and exploitation, including violence, human trafficking and participation in criminal organisations. Unaccompanied children are especially vulnerable to all these hazards.
The physical and mental health of immigrant children is affected by cultural, geographical and climatic changes. Not knowing the language of the destination country and being unable to communicate with their peers causes an impact of psychological trauma on children. In addition, refugee children living in difficult conditions for a long time are at risk of mental problems and behavioural disorders.
Abstract
Various economic, political, environmental and social reasons can force people to migrate, leaving their home. Migration, which is as old as human history, has increased because of some reasons such as globalization, wars and natural disasters. Children have constituted a significant proportion of immigrants. According to the report of the United Nations Children’s Fund for 2015, the number of immigrant children living in a different country from the country of their birth is approximately 31 million, of whom about 10 million are refugees around the world.
Children have been obliged to deal with many problems such as hunger, thirst and illness during their migratory journey. In countries to which children migrated to seek asylum, children have been exposed to a great deal of abuse and exploitation, including violence, human trafficking and participation in criminal organisations. Unaccompanied children are especially vulnerable to all these hazards.
The physical and mental health of immigrant children is affected by cultural, geographical and climatic changes. Not knowing the language of the destination country and being unable to communicate with their peers causes an impact of psychological trauma on children. In addition, refugee children living in difficult conditions for a long time are at risk of mental problems and behavioural disorders.
Keywords
asylum, child, immigrant child, immigration, refugee
About this articleTitle
IMMIGRATION AND CHILDREN
Journal
Disaster and Emergency Medicine Journal
Issue
Pages
26-30
Published online
2018-06-12
Page views
2200
Article views/downloads
758
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
Disaster Emerg Med J 2018;3(1):26-30.
Keywords
asylum
child
immigrant child
immigration
refugee
Authors
Burak Katipoğlu
Perihan Şimşek
Abdülkadir Gündüz
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