On the edges of insecurity: studies of children when refugees and in situations of migration

Abstract

Abstract Children are especially vulnerable in situations of migration and refuge due to exposure to trafficking, sexual exploitation, abandonment, hunger, violence and detention, which may compromise their development. The objective is to analyze, through a systematic literature review, the approaches used to investigate the migration and refuge situation of children up to 10 years of age. 92 articles were collected in six databases in the areas of mental health and education, published between 2010 and 2019. The impacts on mental health are striking because of the severity of the mental disorders affecting refugee children; in education, studies point to the relationship between care professionals in this area and children. The main data collection techniques used in the studies are: interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, and drawings. Texts from the perspective of children and adults talking about the children predominate. Even research that did not start from the premise of dialoguing with children's logic, built documents capable of reflecting the experience of the adults responsible for the children. Legislation and protocols for authorities listening to children, considering the best interest of the child, are scarce and not mobilizing, failing to unite universal efforts to protect and guarantee the fundamental rights of these children.