Exploring Children's Experiences of Migration: Movement and Family Relationships

The focus on child migration is relatively new. Child migrants have been portrayed as lacking agency, passive victims of - at best - their parents' decisions - at worst - adult exploitation. Recent research evidence challenges this portrayal, revealing the diversity and complexity of children's experiences (e.g. Gardner, 2012; Hashim and Thorsen, 2011; Punch, 2009; Whitehead and Hashim, 2005). Migration features strongly on public policy agendas worldwide, resulting in an increase in research activity and literature focusing predominantly on labour migration and adults' experiences. This briefing paper highlights the main themes emerging from a recent seminar to explore the ways children's migration impacts upon their family relationships and vice-versa, whilst also considering the similarities and differences in experiences of children from across the world