Migrant domestic work in SWANA and the Asia-Pacific: A child- and youth–sensitive analysis of protection gaps
Ahead of the International Migration Forum, this MYCP research report brings together evidence on how social protection systems can better respond to the needs of migrant and displaced young people in line with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). It builds on the recognition that social protection is a key policy tool to reduce inequalities, support access to basic services, and enable young people to navigate transitions in contexts shaped by displacement and exclusion. This report rejects traditional clustering and adopts a cross sectoral approach, reflecting the reality that migration intersects with multiple policy areas. It examines how structural drivers such as climate change and migration shape young people’s access to fundamental rights and services like education and healthcare.
Assessing Child and Youth Rights in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
Strengthening alignment with the UNCRC requires the development of clearer procedural standards, child-specific accountability mechanisms, and sustained investment in systems that ensure access to services, protection, and justice. Crucially, it also requires recognising children and youth as active participants in migration governance, with the right and capacity to shape the policies and processes that affect their lives. Without such shifts, the gap between commitment and practice will remain, and migrant children will continue to face systemic protection deficits.