Migration in the 21st century and its effects on education By Human Rights Watch, adapted by Newsela staff on 06.01.17 Word Count 959 Level 1030L Refugee children from Syria at a clinic in Ramtha, Jordan, in 2013. Although they have been welcomed by Jordanian communities, many refugees do not have the resources to obtain legal jobs. Photo by: U.K. Department for International Development There are many reasons why people migrate, or move away, from the place where they were born. Common reasons are armed conflict, natural disasters, persecution and violence. People who leave in order to escape war are called refugees. People who are escaping a country to get a better life, education or job are called migrants. Refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant children are called "involuntary migrant" children as a group. They do not automatically have access to education when they move to a new place. The conditions of involuntary migrants are being observed by the United Nations. The role of this international organization is to allow countries to coordinate to solve global problems. "Girls Are More Likely To Be Out Of School" One branch of the United Nations is the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. It estimates that 50 percent of primary school-age refugee children and 75 percent of secondary school-age refugees are out of school. Girls are more likely to be out of school. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Human Rights Watch is an international organization that researches whether human rights are being respected or denied their rights. They found that many involuntary migrant children are fleeing because of abuses in their home countries. Many children are forced into marriage or are recruited as soldiers. Others are escaping from attacks on schools and other effects of armed conflict. Migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras who fled to Mexico told Human Rights Watch that children are at risk of recruitment and other abuses by gangs as they walk to and from school. Many children are pressured and threatened to join gangs. Girls face particular risk of assault by gang members. Some children are held for ransom. There Are Laws, But They Are Hard To Enforce All children have the right to education, free from discrimination. The United Nations Refugee Convention, originally written in 1951, details what governments should do to help refugees. The convention states that governments must treat refugee children as if they were citizens when it comes to primary education. Another law, the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, requires governments to try to help migrant children with special needs. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities from 2007 requires that children with disabilities have equal access to basic services such as education. Failure to do so is a form of discrimination. Still, these laws are very difficult to enforce, because every country has its own internal laws and specific problems. Certain policies can prevent migrant children from getting an education. These policies sometimes expect migrants to pay fees for school or to show documentation they do not have. Some also prevent migrants from working. This leaves many children unable to register in school and many impoverished refugees unable to work lawfully. Delays In Access To Education As of 2017, Syrians in Jordan who are caught working without work permits have been arrested. A large percentage of Syrian refugee families depend on their children to work. They often send their kids to work because children are less likely to be arrested. Afghans without valid refugee documents face many difficulties in obtaining an education. Ahmad, a 16-year-old Afghan who was raised in Iran, said: I went to school, but my parents had to pay for me and my brother and sister because we were not Iranian. Iranian children do not have to pay. Two or three times I did well enough in exams to qualify for a special education program, but could not go, because I was Afghan. Refugees are also not allowed to study in university in Iran, so I decided for my future to go somewhere else. I didn t want to go back to Afghanistan. Every day we heard about suicide bombings and someone or some group of people losing their life, even in Kabul. Every day there is a bomb blast. If I went back there, I imagine a dark future. I just want to have a chance to continue my education, nothing more. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
More than 35,000 unaccompanied migrant children came to Sweden in 2015. Unaccompanied children in Sweden are entitled by law to equal access to education. However, the arrival of tens of thousands of children put a strain on this system. Delays in appointing child guardians impacted children s access to education and support. Four children reported that they were prevented from enrolling in school because they did not have a guardian. Unaccompanied Children Face Even More Obstacles In 2016, Human Rights Watch documented the situation of unaccompanied children in northern France. They lived in the so-called Jungle camp in Calais. The only form of education available in the camp was provided by nongovernmental organizations or volunteers. When the camp was closed by the French government in October, children were taken to temporary centers across France. There, the children had access to few educational or recreational activities. Some countries automatically detain migrant children for immigration purposes, denying them their right to education. In Mexico, Thailand and Indonesia, children are sometimes detained for no reason. They stay in unhygienic facilities without access to any formal education. Even for children who avoid being detained, the threat of deportations may lead families to avoid registering their children in the school system. In 2016, Human Rights Watch found that unaccompanied children in Greece were routinely detained in small, overcrowded and unhygienic cells for long periods of time. These children were left with little access to basic care and services. There was no evidence that the unaccompanied children had access to education or even recreational activities. Millions of involuntary migrant children are being deprived of their right to education. Removing obstacles to education is critical for children to recover from conflict, persecution and other factors forcing their movement. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Quiz 1 HOW is Ahmad introduced in the section "Delays In Access To Education"? through an explanation of his reasons for migrating through a description of his education program through his experiences trying to get an education through his decision to return to Afghanistan 2 Which of the following MOST influences a refugee or migrant child's chances of getting an education? laws created by the U.N. countries' laws and policies money earned by parents camps provided by governments 3 Read the sentence from the second paragraph of the article. Refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant children are called "involuntary migrant" children as a group. Which option is the BEST definition of "involuntary" as used in this sentence? accidental unwilling reflexive forced This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
4 Read the paragraph from the section "Delays In Access To Education." More than 35,000 unaccompanied migrant children came to Sweden in 2015. Unaccompanied children in Sweden are entitled by law to equal access to education. However, the arrival of tens of thousands of children put a strain on this system. Delays in appointing child guardians impacted children s access to education and support. Four children reported that they were prevented from enrolling in school because they did not have a guardian. Which phrase from the paragraph provides context clues for understanding the term "unaccompanied children"? came to Sweden in 2015 equal access to education prevented from enrolling did not have a guardian This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5