Child Protection for Children on the Move in Pakistan

Highlights

Forcibly displaced children and child migrants face heightened protection risks, including violence, family separation, trafficking, child marriage, gender-based violence (GBV), forced labour, and psychosocial distress. In Pakistan, nearly half of UNHCR’s population of concern are children. Internally displaced Pakistani children, Afghan child migrants, and other forcibly displaced children face significant risks, especially in urban and peri-urban areas, where access to protection services is limited.

Despite the scale of displacement—an estimated 3.6 million Afghans in Pakistan—there is limited research on the specific risks these children face, barriers to their protection, and the mechanisms available to support them.

To address this gap, the study Generating Evidence on Internally Displaced Children, Afghan Child Migrants and Forcibly Displaced Children in Pakistan provides new insights into their lived experiences and access to child protection services. Produced by UNICEF Innocenti in collaboration with UNICEF Pakistan and the Pakistan National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC), and funded by the Netherlands, the research was conducted by Samuel Hall Ltd.

The report aims to:

• Assess urban and peri-urban contexts where Afghan children with Proof of Residence (PoR) cards and internally displaced children live.
• Explore their daily lives, perceived barriers to services, and future aspirations.
• Understand current child protection service provision in these settings.
• Offer evidence-based recommendations to UNICEF, the Government of Pakistan, and other stakeholders.

An accompanying policy brief, Increasing Access to and Quality of Child Protection Services for Children on the Move in Pakistan, highlights the need for inclusive, rights-based responses for migrant and displaced children, and promotes social cohesion between host and migrant communities through equitable access to protection and social services.