Although migration has been a longstanding fact of life in Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of children affected by migration, including both children migrating and residing in host communities, is increasing. UNICEF estimates that 3.5 million children will be affected by migration in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region in 2022, an estimated increase of 47% over 2021.1 Indeed, increasing numbers of children migrating has been on the rise over the past few years, with children and families now representing an increasing proportion of migration flows as compared to single men, who formed the majority of flows five years ago.
ICMP ensures the cooperation of governments and others in addressing the issue of missing persons, including provisions to build institutional capacity, encourage public involvement and address the needs of justice and provides technical assistance to governments in locating, recovering and identifying missing persons.
Since 1981, our Casa Alianza (Spanish for Covenant House) programs have been providing shelter, protection and rehabilitation for children and teenagers in Latin America who are abused, abandoned, trafficked, addicted or left to the streets. Our team is a group of internationally recognized experts in children’s human rights passing critical legislation to establish and enforce policies that protect kids and punish traffickers.
Disappearances are a worldwide problem. Over the last few decades the world has been shocked by accounts of tens of thousands of people who are known to have disappeared in Cambodia, Latin America, Iraq, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, Chechnya and others.Forced disappearance have an effect on the individual, his/her family and the community as a whole. The problems that family members of disappeared persons face are complex and can be overwhelming.
Deliberate infliction of pain and suffering or intimidation or coercion on children to obtain a confession or information, for punishment of real or perceived offences on the basis of discrimination about race, ethnic or political affiliation, is practiced in many places around the world. Impact of torture on children may vary depending on the child’s coping strategies, cultural and social circumstances.