“The river took everything away from us, including our home. I used to play in our courtyard, but those are my only memories now.”
Sathi Akhter, 13, Bangladesh.
Sathi’s family of seven lived a simple life farming the land. It wasn’t luxurious, but it provided enough to survive. Then, one monsoon, torrential rains caused the Padma River to overflow, washing away their farmland. Their home. Their sense of stability. The family fled to Dhaka in search of safety and work. But her father’s odd jobs were never enough. At one point, they even considered marrying Sathi off to ease the burden of another mouth to feed.
Her story is not unique. Across South Asia, millions of children are being uprooted by floods, droughts, cyclones, and rising temperatures. Climate change is not only changing weather patterns – it is changing childhoods.
A region on the move
When Cyclone Amphan struck in 2020, around 1.5 million children were displaced in just one event.
Between 2016 and 2022, an estimated 15.6 million children in South Asia were displaced by weather-related disasters – that’s over 6,100 children every single day. In Bangladesh, nearly 7 per cent of all children were displaced by weather-related disasters, while in Sri Lanka, the figure was 5 per cent.
Floods were the biggest driver, forcing nearly 9.9 million children from their homes, followed by storms and cyclones, displacing another 5.5 million.
Looking ahead, the situation is expected to worsen. Riverine floods alone could displace 1.2 million children every year across South Asia – that’s a projected 35.6 million children over the next three decades if we fail to act.
Displacement is not just about losing a home. It means losing education, health care, safety, and a sense of belonging. For children, these losses can last a lifetime.
When safety disappears
Children displaced by disasters face multiple risks – hunger, illness, violence, and exploitation. Many are pulled out of school to work or pushed into early marriage. In moments of chaos, families often lose vital documents like birth certificates, cutting children off from health care, schooling, and protection services.
In 2017, floods across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka shut down 16,000 schools, disrupting learning for 1.8 million children. Girls, in particular, face increased risks of child marriage and adolescent pregnancy when disasters strike.
Similarly, floods and droughts are making it harder to find clean water and more challenging to maintain. Children living in various terrains and settings face increasing water scarcity, which often forces them to leave their homes and move elsewhere in extreme cases.
Most South Asian countries still lack strong child protection systems that can respond effectively when disasters force families to move. To break this cycle, UNICEF is urging governments to integrate child displacement into their national climate and disaster risk plans, strengthen early warning systems, and ensure that every response puts children first.
What UNICEF is doing
For Sathi, there was hope. With UNICEF’s help, she stayed in school and avoided early marriage. She now visits a local Child Protection Service Hub, where she receives counselling, help with her studies, and medical care. Her laughter has returned – but millions of others are still waiting for theirs.
UNICEF’s Sustainability and Climate Change Action Plan (2023–2030) sets a clear vision: every child must survive, grow, and thrive in a safe, sustainable environment. Through the Today and Tomorrow initiative – the world’s first integrated climate and disaster risk financing mechanism for children – UNICEF is helping countries better prepare for and recover from disasters.
In South Asia, UNICEF is working with governments and communities to strengthen disaster preparedness. Together, they are setting up early warning systems, training child protection officers, creating safe spaces for children, and ensuring that families can quickly access education and health services even after disasters strike.
What needs to happen next
The scale of displacement is alarming. The UNGA 2025 highlighted the magnitude of the displacement, acknowledging the impacts of climate change, and emphasising the need for greater financial support and coordinated climate action. Furthermore, the ICJ’s recent Advisory Opinion on States Obligations to Climate Change reinforces efforts to strengthen national adaptation plans and integrate displacement solutions for children and vulnerable communities into broader policies and financing solutions. The solutions are within reach – if we act now.
Governments must:
- Integrate child displacement risks into national climate and disaster strategies.
- Collect and use age- and sex-disaggregated data to design targeted responses.
- Ensure continuity of education and health services during and after disasters.
The private sector can:
- Safeguard children's documents and encourage continued learning during crises.
- Avoid harmful coping mechanisms such as child labour or early marriage.
- Engage in disaster preparedness and early warning systems to keep children safe.
Every child deserves a safe place to survive and grow
Every child has the right to grow up in safety, surrounded by care and opportunity. But as floods, cyclones, and droughts become more frequent, millions of children across South Asia face an uncertain future.
The time for half-measures has passed. Governments, communities, donors, and the private sector must unite to protect children before, during, and after climate disasters. Because no child should lose their home, their school, or their future to the climate crisis.
About the authors
Rakshya R. Thapa is the Regional Adviser for Climate and Environment at UNICEF South Asia.
Eshani Ruwanpura is the Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF South Asia.
References
- Children displaced in a changing climate | UNICEF
- Children Uprooted in a Changing Climate (UNICEF + IOM, 2021)
- UN Committee on the Rights of the Child calls on states to take action in first guidance on children's rights and the environment, with a focus on climate change
- https://unicef.sharepoint.com/sites/ICON/SitePages/Five-reasonschild-responsive-loss-and-damage-financ.aspx?OR=Teams-HL&CT=1710248353184
- https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/reports/loss-and-damage-finance-children
- https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/media/3316/file/UNICEF-Innocenti-Loss-Damage-Finance-2023.pdf
- Prospects for Children in 2024: Cooperation in a Fragmented World | Innocenti Global Office of Research and Foresight (unicef.org)
- UNICEF-Innocenti-Loss-Damage-Finance-2023.pdf
- 10 countries at risk of climate disaster | International Rescue Committee (IRC)
- Children on the Move in South Asia: Regional Brief.pdf (unicef.org)
- Implementing the Task Force on Displacement Recommendations through Loss and Damage Policy and Practice (TFD, 2023)
- Guiding Principles on Climate Change and Children on the Move (UNICEF, Georgetown University + partners, 2022)
