Child Migrants

A tragedy and injustice that is growing is that more and more children are migrating ... and they are increasingly younger. Such data is found in the analysis taken from the report "Children and Migration in Central and North America: causes, policies, practices and challenges" which was made possible thanks to a partnership of organizations in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, originally published in February 2015 and updated in the beginning of 2016.

The report notes that:

• 8 out of 10 children and adolescents deported by Mexico are Central Americans.

• 5 out of 10 children or adolescents detained in Mexico, traveled alone.

• More than 35,000 children and adolescents from Central America were arrested in Mexico during 2015. An increase of 55% compared to 2014.

But why migrate? Forced migration of children and adolescents is due to many reasons, sometimes a combination of two or more of these, but mainly fleeing poverty, violence (intra-familiar, gender, or from organized crime), corruption, impunity, exclusion and lack of options that prevail in their home countries and prevent them from exercising their fundamental rights.

It is worth mentioning that migration should be seen as a forced but "natural" strategy for personal and family survival. No one would take the risk of dying or suffering violence and harassment on the journey if they could stay safe at home.

This information was developed thanks to the website of the Human Rights Center Fray Matias de Cordova, an organization of civil society, founded in 1994, working in the defense and promotion of human rights of migrants on the southern border of Mexico .