Working Toward a Global Discourse on Children’s Rights: The Problem of Unaccompanied Children and the International Response to Their Plight

This Note will examine the international community’s response to the rise of children’s rights and will suggest how more can be done to protect unaccompanied children. Part I will briefly examine the historical background of the international children’s rights movement. Next, it will discuss the uniqueness of the Children’s Convention and will describe some problems of implementation. Part II will address the specific problem of unaccompanied children, focusing on the interplay between the Children’s Convention and international agencies. It will discuss the role of the UNHCR and the Guidelines. Finally, Part III will explore possible solutions to the problems of unaccompanied children, suggesting that a supplementary or new convention is in order. (Description from source)