title: Unaccompanied Children at the United States Border, a Human Rights Crisis that can be Addressed with Policy Change.
abstract: In recent years, unaccompanied minors have been journeying to the United States (U.S.)-Mexico border in great numbers in order to escape violence, poverty and exploitation in their home countries. Yet, unaccompanied children attempting to cross the United States border face treatment at the hands of government representatives which violates their inherent rights as children. The result is a human rights crisis that has severe health consequences for the children. Their rights as children are clearly delineated in various, international human rights documents which merit increased understanding of and recognition by the U.S. government. This paper calls for the improvement of policies and procedures for addressing the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children; it provides specific, rights-based recommendations which work together to safeguard the rights of the child at the U.S. southwestern border.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. ja633@drexel.edu.|Behavioral Sciences Training Program, Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, 250 Park Avenue South, 6th Fl., New York, NY, 10003, USA. ja633@drexel.edu.
authors.forename: Janna
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4435-1828
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ataiants
authors.affiliation: Hepatitis B Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Chari
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Amy Henderson
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Jamile
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tellez Lieberman
authors.affiliation: Health Federation of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Clare
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Reidy
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Policy, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chilton
mesh_terms: D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006077:Government Agencies / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006806:Human Rights / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D033242:Minors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057766:Policy; D011057:Politics; D012036:Refugees / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015206:Southwestern United States; D014481:United States