Why do children undertake unaccompanied journey?

On Wednesday, 3rd February 2015, AREU in partnership with UNHCR officially launched the paper titled “Why do children undertake unaccompanied journey? Motivations for departure to Europe and other industrialized countries from the perspective of children, families and residents of sending communities in Afghanistan”. The event was attended by a number of stakeholders, including representatives from Afghanistan’s ministry for Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR), local nongovernmental organizations working in the area of child rights and child immigrants, and international organizations. The event included a thorough presentation of the paper by Dr. Chona Echaves, AREU’s deputy director for research, and was followed with a panel discussion with representatives of AREU, UNHCR and MoRR. During the Q&A, a number of issues were discussed with attendees, including the specifics of the paper, as well as recommendations and their implications on future policies.