Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In recent years, unaccompanied minors have been journeying to the United States U. Yet, unaccompanied children attempting to cross the United States border face treatment at the hands of government representatives which violates their inherent rights as children. The result is a human rights crisis that has severe health consequences for the children.
Their rights as children are clearly delineated in various, international human rights documents which merit increased understanding of and recognition by the U. This paper calls for the improvement of policies and procedures for addressing the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children; it provides specific, rights-based recommendations which work together to safeguard the rights of the child at the U. In recent years, the United States U. These children are fleeing violence, exploitation, and poverty in their home countries in Mexico and Central America.
Additionally, after separating from their families, escaping violence and being exposed to further trauma while risking their lives to get to the U. The result is a human rights crisis in the U. We provide a brief background of the situation facing unaccompanied children, review relevant human rights abuses and human rights documents, and propose policy recommendations for the improvement of U.
Overall, U. We utilize the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its optional protocols, general comments, and related legal documents to inform recommendations for safeguarding children's rights and wellbeing. Specifically, we recommend improving the screening and adjudication processes to be more protective, providing tailored training for those working with unaccompanied minors, reframing the language surrounding the issue i.
Through describing examples of such endeavors, and addressing barriers to these approaches, we call on the U. Children attempting to come to the United States face long dangerous trips without their parents or guardians. Sometimes they travel over miles and cross several borders on foot, by bus, or atop freight trains. Along the way, they face the risks of exploitation, violence and death [ 2 ].
