Unaccompanied Children
Risks and violence along the migration route through Mexico
Thousands of children and youth embark on a journey through Mexico each year. This research explores their motivations for migration, the risks experienced during the journey, the structural and institutional violence they face, and the emotional, physical, and social consequences they face.
The northern border of Mexico is marked by a particularly intricate migration dynamic, characterised by two interconnected phenomena: forced internal displacement due to violence and the transit of foreign populations, originating in contexts of insecurity and unmet opportunities.
Such movements impact women, children and youth (CAY) in diverse ways, as well as Indigenous communities, who encounter both criminal risks – including territorial control by armed groups, community conflicts, and gender-based violence – and structural risks derived from restrictive migration policies at both national and international levels.
In this context, thousands of children and youth embark on a journey through Mexico each year, either alone or accompanied, in pursuit of protection, family reunification or improved living conditions. The executive summary presents the key findings of research conducted by Plan International Mexico and Save the Children Mexico in collaboration with the Human Rights Program of the Universidad Iberoamericana CDMX.
This research is based on a comprehensive analysis of interviews and focus groups with children accompanied and unaccompanied in the children and youth of Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez and Reynosa. The study also draws on insights from personnel from key organisations and services.
The research explores the causes that motivate the migration of CAY, the risks experienced during the journey, the structural and institutional violence they face, and the emotional, physical, and social consequences of their mobility contexts.
Download the report
Unaccompanied Children Report – English
26.14 mb
Unaccompanied Children Report – Spanish
20.89 mb
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