Young and Astray: Unaccompanied Children from Eritrea

For more than four decades, the northeast African state of Eritrea has faced complex challenges, including war, internal conflict, political resistance and prolonged economic strife. As a result, a significant number of Er­itreans have left the country, either by choice or through force, and now live in host nations around the globe.

In recent years, an influx of younger children has sparked some concern, as children as young as 10 years old began to flee from their coun­try into Ethiopia, Sudan and beyond. The Women’s Refugee Commission, with the support of UNHCR, conducted research to assess the push and pull factors and protection risks faced by the Eritre­an unaccompanied and separated children seeking asylum in northern Ethiopia and eastern Sudan.