Child migration in national surveys

Adriana Castaldo, University of Sussex
Saskia Gent, University of Sussex
Gunjan Sondhi, University of Sussex
Ann Whitehead, University of Sussex

Improving the availability and the quality of data on migration flows and the characteristics of migrants is key to an informed design of migration policies. This applies to the adult as well as child migration. This paper focuses on child migration, and in particular on two main groups of child migrants, those who migrate independently of their families, and those who migrate with their families. We investigate how the theme of child migration is treated in some of the existing household surveys and censuses, and how these data have been and could be used in the study of child migration. The paper highlights some of the strengths and limitations of the survey questionnaires, and of the subsequent data, in terms of generating and analysing child migration variables. We conclude with some suggestions on how the use of these data for the analysis of child migration could be enhanced or improved.