oa Child migrants in the labour market: Not a good deal for them or their families

Around the world, millions of children are migrating, both within and between countries—a significant number with their families, others alone. They are part of large-scale population movements currently taking place in many parts of the world. These broader population movements include an estimated 214 million international migrants (Zukang, 2009) and 740 million internal migrants (UNDP, 2009).

In the coming years an unprecedented number of young people are expected to migrate and shift population dynamics further. They’ll be driven by demographic factors, perceived economic disparity, youth unemployment [ILO estimated youth unemployment of over 80 million in 2010 (ILO, 2010a)], violent conflict and state failure, natural disasters, and environmental issues.