Australia for UNHCR National Director says urgent support needed for protection of refugee children separated from their parents and families.

Data from the UN Refugee Agency’s annual Global Trends report shows the number of people fleeing war, persecution and conflict exceeded 70 million in 2018 – the highest level UNHCR has seen in its almost 70 years.

“This is twice as many refugees in the world as 20 years ago, and 2.3 million more than last year – confirming forced displacement as the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time,” said Australia for UNHCR National Director Naomi Steer.

“The new data is clear – this is a crisis overwhelmingly affecting children. More than half of all refugees now are children, many fleeing alone,” she said.

At least 138,600 children are fending for themselves as they flee conflict without parents, and this is likely an underestimate. In Uganda, where Australians have supported UNHCR’s humanitarian operations for many years, a staggering 2,800 children aged five or below arrived in refugee camps on their own.

“This means every hour, around 20 children – the same number as an average Australian primary school class – embark on perilous journeys with no-one to protect them, facing many dangers including exploitation, sexual and gender-based violence, malnutrition and disease, trafficking and abuse,” Steer said.

South Sudan, which has suffered years of war and violence, is the country from which the greatest number of unaccompanied children are fleeing – 58,600 arrived from South Sudan, representing 53 per cent of the unaccompanied and separated children worldwide.

With the support of Australian donors, UNHCR said that protection officers can ensure unaccompanied children have access to secure and child-friendly shelter, nutritious food, medical care and counselling, and access to education.

“I remember seeing one child at the border crossing from South Sudan into Ethiopia, looking totally lost, in a sea of hundreds of people – desperately searching for someone he might know,” Steer said.

For her, one of their programs, Lost Childhoods appeal ensures refugee children have protection, safe accommodation, psychological trauma support and services to hopefully be reunited with parents and family, and to have a future they can hope for.