All children caught up in the global migration crisis should be treated as children first and foremost, regardless of their nationality or migration status, or that of their parents, said the UN human rights experts.
They have said this in authoritative new guidance on the human rights of children in the context of international migration, published on Friday, reports UNB.
Migrant children, defined as those below the age of 18, continue to suffer the most from the violation of their rights, the experts said.
"States should adopt new laws and policies or amendments to existing laws, as well as implement practical measures to fulfil the rights of all children in the context of international migration," say the experts from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
"The key principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child - such as non-discrimination, the best interests of the child, the right to life, survival and development, and the right to be heard and to participate - should be the guiding principles of any migration policy at local, national, regional and global levels."
The guidance, officially termed joint General Comments, promotes the development and implementation of comprehensive, rights-based migration policies in countries of origin, transit, destination and return of international migration, by improving the realisation of the children's rights.
And since the Convention on the Rights of the Child enjoys the ratification of 196 States, the obligations highlighted in the General Comments have a global resonance, according to a message UNB received from Geneva on Friday.
The new General Comments are a response to the multiple and intersecting forms of human rights violations faced by children in the context of international migration.
For some children, the difficulties begin with perilous border crossings and rough seas, including being at the mercy of often unscrupulous smuggling networks.
Some tragically never arrive at their destinations. Children are also at risk of being exposed to sickness, injury, violence, including sexual violence, abuse and neglect, exploitation, including forced labour, and trafficking.
These risks are multiplied in cases of children on the move, and in particular unaccompanied children.
Pablo Ceriani Cernadas, Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, said: "Ensuring the rights of all children in the context of migration is a critical means not only to promote social cohesion and integration in host societies, but also to adequately address in the medium and long term the root causes of migration through a rights-based and human development lens."
The experts highlighted that the Joint General Comments could become a critical tool for the international community with respect to related initiatives, such as the Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees. It will also contribute significantly to achieving the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) so that no child is left behind.