"Half of the world refugees are children: they need to be treated first and foremost as children. Their protection and rights, including their right to education and non-discrimination, must be a priority, including within the European borders. Increasing cooperation between child protection systems could improve their protection when they seek asylum status in the EU. Despite the global declining trend in funding, the EU has already increased its commitment to education in emergencies. We cannot afford to have lost generations of children with no or little education."

 

As laid down in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a child is any human being below the age of 18. Children make up one third of the world's population and one fifth of the population of the EU. Children's rights form part of the human rights that the EU and EU countries must respect.