UN Refugee Agency calls for regional humanitarian response to address the situation of children on the move from Central America

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2014 (UNHCR) - The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expresses solidarity with countries in the Americas as the humanitarian situation of asylum-seekers from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras reaches critical levels. It applauds the governments and people who have responded with generosity toward their neighbors and calls for the respect of the principle of non-refoulement, preventing forced return of individuals to their country of origin where they could face persecution. 

“Safe haven for those fleeing persecution is at the core of refugee protection,” said Volker Türk, UNHCR’s Director of International Protection. “This situation needs a regional humanitarian and protection response. UNHCR stands ready to support governments to build a robust protection network throughout North and Central America to ensure that the needs and rights of children and adults fleeing persecution at the hands of non-state actors are properly respected.”

The last several years have seen an increasing number of asylum-seekers from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras fleeing violence at the hands of transnational organized criminal groups and local powerful gangs . These asylum seekers have fled not only to the United States of America.  From 2008 to 2013, the number of people from these three countries seeking asylum in Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama has increased over 700 per cent.

In particular, the number of children in the region setting out alone in search of safety has grown dramatically in recent years. The numbers of unaccompanied and separated children arriving to the U.S. has doubled each year since 2011. The U.S. Government estimates that more than 90,000 unaccompanied children will arrive by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2014, and upwards of 127,000 during FY 2015.

UNHCR calls on all countries in the Americas to uphold their shared responsibility to protect displaced children, families or adults who are in need. This is critical over both the short and long term, as governments implement solutions to address forced displacement and its root causes.

END