Exploiting COVID-19 to Attack Migrant & Asylum-Seeking Children
In Ms. Magazine, Women’s Refugee Commission Policy Advisor Diane Eikenberry wrote an op-ed on how the COVID-19 pandemic has left migrant and asylum-seeking children uniquely vulnerable.
Here is an excerpt:
In the U.S., and around the world, schools are closed and children are home with their families and caregivers for a simple reason: to keep them safe from COVID-19.
Protecting the health and safety of a child is fundamental. In fact, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child—a global treaty on the rights of children signed 30 years ago—has been ratified by every UN nation, except the United States.
The disturbing truth is that for too many children, the fundamental rights to health, safety and well-being often go unprotected or are actively threatened. The unprecedented threat of COVID-19 has left one particular group of children uniquely vulnerable: migrant and asylum-seeking children, especially those at the U.S. border with Mexico.