Adolescents and Youth Migration: Harnessing the Development Potential while Mitigating Risk

This piece on the Voices of Youth website extends a call for attention for "the largely 'invisible' people": youth migrants. Young people make up about a quarter of migrants worldwide (Youth Supplement of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) State of the World Population Report 2007), and they "have access to relatively cheap and easy means of transport, and are more likely than ever to migrate for reasons ranging from family reunification to the desire for better education and employment opportunities to the need to escape war or conflicts. As mobile phone networks and internet spread rapidly around the developing world, youth are increasingly aware of opportunities beyond their borders, even as immigration laws become stricter worldwide."

Author Michael Boampong reflects on a speaking engagement he had with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) following the launch of its State of the World Children's report, which tried to make a case for investing in adolescents. He affirms that there are many logical reasons to invest in young people by promoting entrepreneurship and smooth school-to work-transition opportunities, amongst other programmes - yet, conversely, when youth lack these opportunities, "migration for instance becomes a necessity rather than a choice".

In advance of a 2-day Informal Thematic Debate on International Migration and Development (United Nations Headquarters, New York, United States, May 19 2011) on "Migration, Adolescents and Youth: Harnessing Opportunities for Development", Boampong offers some recommendations for the President of the General Assembly and the Global Migration Group to consider, such as:

• Create formal spaces for key affected populations of young people in migration policy debates: Boampong recommends ensuring the formal participation children and youth in the migration discourse at local, national, and international levels, such as this UN-hosted event and the Global Forum on Migration and Development. According to him, lessons could be gleaned from the formalised participation of youth in other issues like HIV/AIDS. For instance, there is the youth-for-youth organised programme at the annual International AIDS Conference that promotes exchange of both experiences and resources to promote active youth leadership in addressing HIV/AIDS - a key development issue that disproportionately affects young people. "Participation should also move beyond tokenism to ensure that the views and concerns of young people are respected and the necessary projects and policies undertaken by policy planners, elected officials and decision-makers."
• Build capacity for co-management of migration: "There is a need for institutional capacity-building of youth-led organizations working on adolescents and youth migration issues, such as through trainings and funding of youth-led migration initiatives. By supporting grassroots, youth-focused organizations, development organizations and policy makers can learn firsthand about the real needs of young people to minimize the negative aspects of child and youth migration while leveraging the benefits and opportunities."
• Support co-development: "Host countries and countries of origin are increasingly initiating programs that recognize youth migrants as agents of development for their sending countries, but these programs should be greatly expanded. International organizations could support such initiatives with funding and capacity building."
• Reach out to youth in the diaspora to help mobilise financial resources for development: "African youth such as Chelsea's ace midfield player Michael Essien and Ghanaian singer and songwriter Rhian Benson are just two such African youth in the diaspora who could be targeted for diaspora bonds."
• Address the root causes of migration: "Despite the number of information campaigns conducted to dissuade youth from migrating irregularly, there are still media reports and empirical evidence of young people who undertake perilous journeys in attempts to reach the so-called greener pastures of Western countries....It is imperative for sending countries, especially African governments, to create the necessary opportunities for youth to be gainfully employed and educated, while also ensuring the meaningful participation of youth in the governance process of their countries of origin."
• Ensure the social protection and promote human rights of young migrants: "It is important that governments initiate social protection mechanisms to help provide for and develop young people in sending countries, while their parents are away....Civil society organizations and the media should stimulate and play [an] active role in ensuring government accountability in enhancing protection and integration of young migrants and alternative ways of participation for individual development."
• Note that restrictive migration policies on the part of host countries can never be the solution to reducing the rate of youth migration: "Temporary migration programs could be one of the meaningful ways to satisfy the curiosity of young migrants while reducing the rate of irregular and non-circular migration among young people."