The crisis facing refugee children is one of the biggest humanitarian challenges of today. Ongoing conflicts around the world in countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan and Gaza have disproportionately impacted children, forcing millions to flee their homes.

According to Unicef, the United Nations’ agency for children, an estimated 48.8 million children were displaced due to war and violence at the end of 2024 – triple the number displaced in 2010. Although children make up less than one-third of the global population, they represent a staggering 40% of refugees.

Refugees face legal barriers before they can integrate into a new society and restart their lives. This process was made easier for refugees from Ukraine, who were granted temporary protection in the European Union, giving them the right to live and work and gain access to education for their children. However, this is not the case for many others.

Refugees from Afghanistan, especially those who fled after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, have struggled with visa restrictions and other problems. In the US, a country that initially welcomed Afghan refugees, the Trump administration has cut funding for aid programmes.

Syrian refugees have faced extensive bureaucratic challenges when seeking asylum in Europe, and many remain stuck in overcrowded camps in Greece, Jordan and Lebanon.

Syrian refugee families also face difficulties enrolling their children in school. Despite efforts by Lebanon’s Ministry of Education to enroll refugee children, the system has struggled to process and accommodate them due to the sheer number of students. As a result of this, more than half of the 488,000 school-aged Syrian children in Lebanon are not in the classroom, according to the UNHCR.

Children have the right to education under international law. When governments fail to support or, conversely, actively complicate the enrollment of children, particularly refugees, they risk violating these international obligations.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Save the Children and organisations such as Unicef and UNESCO have provided education schemes for refugee children. In Lebanon, Jusoor helps Syrian refugee kids transition into the country’s school system.

Organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have pushed for mental health services to become integrated in all forms of assistance to refugees, particularly within schools where children can begin to regain a sense of normalcy and security. Education alone cannot lead to full recovery without also addressing the trauma these kids have experienced.

Humanitarian organisations continue to try to provide the help that refugee families need, but governments need to uphold the rights of all children including refugees. True progress will require not only policy changes, but a shift in how the international community values and protects the futures of displaced children.