Tunisia

People have been on the move for hundreds of years in West and Northwest Africa. Over five million of the estimated 40-45 million migrants across this vast area are children and young people under age 24.

In the past few years, there has been a noticeable “feminization” of this mobility. Girls make up between 25 and 50 percent of the children on the move, depending on the country, so Helvetas and its partners are especially attentive to gender issues and to the specific problems this group can face on their migration pathways.

Supporting children and young migrants

Children and young people migrate for a range of reasons. These include extreme poverty; a desire for access to quality education and/or new opportunities; a family or social tradition of migration; to escape from violence, political instability, conflict or environmental problems; or simply in search of a better life. Girls have the same motives for migrating, as well as specific inequalities and discrimination linked to their gender. These inequalities continue to plague them on migration routes.

The Enfants et Jeunes en Mobilité (EJM – Children and Youths on the Move) project aims to protect and strengthen the rights of these people, many of whom travel alone and are particularly vulnerable to the challenges encountered during migration.

The first phase of the project (2022-2024) is being implemented in five pilot countries: Tunisia, Morocco, Niger, Mali and Guinea. Helvetas is leading the consortium behind the project, supported by Terre des Hommes and GIZ International Services, and other partners are involved in implementation.

Our approach

The objective of the project is to strengthen the regional, national and transnational systems operated by these five countries – protection and reception schemes, health, education and vocational training systems – so that young migrants can benefit from the services to which they are entitled. Helvetas and our partners are encouraging the various actors to identify the blockages that prevent children and young people from accessing the appropriate services. The aim is to then assist local and regional authorities in identifying practical solutions for these youth to gain access to the services they need.

A tough current situation

The current situation is marred by a dominant discourse that is frequently false and by a gradual erosion of migrants’ rights. This makes it all the more essential to help young people to defend and strengthen their rights as well as making these groups more autonomous so that they can contribute to their host communities and countries.

Helvetas and our partners continue to promote understanding of the many different facets and complexities of migration so that the source, transit and host communities and countries can all benefit from a safer model. The only way of reducing the risks to migrants and maximizing their contribution to socio-economic development is to embrace a holistic and objective approach.

Consortium partners:

Terre des hommes / GIZ International Services / Service Social International – Afrique de l’Ouest (SSI-AO) / Service Social International – Suisse (SSI) / Médecins du Monde Belgique – Dokters van de Wereld België / Mixed Migrations Centre (MMC)

This regional project is funded by SDC.

Additional information