Ever happened to be looking at a photo of yourself as a young, cheerful child, understandably flanked by caring and loving parents or other family members, only to feel nostalgic about those wonderful years gone by? Then you have very good reason to think of yourself as amply privileged over all those children, including refugee and asylum-seeking children, who for varying circumstances are compelled to let go, as it were, of their childhood.

Refugee and asylum-seeking children, who represent more or less half of the world’s refugee and asylum-seeking population, are first and foremost children and, as such, they are unable to get by without the special protection and assistance of their parents or caregiver. Like any other child, refugee and asylum-seeking children are susceptible to disease, under-nourishment and physical injury. They need the support of adults, not only for their physical survival, particularly in the early years of childhood, but also for their psychosocial well-being and gradual development.

Sadly, these children face great threats to their safety and welfare. The abrupt and fierce onset of emergencies, coupled with the eventual interruption of family life, social structures, and for some, the violent death or disappearance of parents, relatives and friends, on top of the severe deficiency of resources which most refugees and asylum seekers meet head-on, acutely impact on all levels of their development. Furthermore, they are also at risk of being recruited as “child soldiers”. Stripped of a childhood and often subjected to horrific violence, some 300,000 children are serving as soldiers in armed conflicts. It is very heartbreaking that young children are often the most frequent victims of aggression, disease and under-nutrition which go along with the displacement of vast populations.

The aftermath of emergencies often results in the separation of families and this has a very damaging effect on refugee and asylum-seeking children of all ages. All this not to mention the very disturbing experiences they would have had prior to setting their feet onto the shores of a third country. Children are particularly vulnerable because of their curtailed biopsychosocial development, inability to comprehend certain life events, dependency and the under-development of coping skills.

Traumatised refugee and asylum-seeking children may exhibit a broad range of behaviours including poor school performance, behavioural problems, withdrawal from parents and other children, lack of confidence and trust, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleeping and eating disorders, bed-wetting, sleepwalking, speech problems and psychosomatic symptoms. Moreover, a child’s psychological health is very much dependent on the health and security conditions of his or her parents or primary caregiver. In other words, parents who are traumatised and are failing to manage their current situation properly may very likely have a reduced ability to serve as a supportive figure to their children, both physically and emotionally.

Together with others, the Organisation for the Integration and Welfare of Asylum Seekers (OIWAS) is responsible for addressing the needs of the vulnerable asylum-seeking population. Children and their parents are provided with professional support, care and monitoring. Through regular social work interventions, parents are progressively helped to manage their emotional anguish in better ways and to become, in good time, more able to act as an effective source of care and support for their children.

Refugee and asylum-seeking children, just like their parents, are persons who have gone through agonising and shattering moments in their desperate attempt to find, perhaps, better lives elsewhere. Nonetheless, they have been able to survive and are now eager to start off a new life. Just like any other child, they have a great deal to offer to their new country. Providing them with special care and assistance is a measure of a society’s values.

Article provided by the Organisation for the Integration and Welfare of Asylum Seekers