KAPCYM Thematic Brief #2: Strengthening Regional Cooperation of Case Management Systems

Knowledge and Policy Dialogue Unit for the Protection of Children and Youth on the Move (KAPCYM)

Thematic Brief # 2

Strengthening Regional Cooperation of Case Management Systems

March 2026

With support of:

Background

Why This Matters

Strengthening regional cooperation on case management (see a definition on page 3 ) is vital to ensure that children on the move are protected consistently throughout their journeys, providing continuity of care. Without it, protection remains fragmented: a child supported in one country may lose access to services, not be identified or referred once they crossed into another, or fall outside of follow-up mechanisms altogether. Regional mechanisms enable coordination, safe information-sharing, and decisions in the child’s best interests, such as family tracing, reunification, or access to care or services. While case management primarily targets children under 18, many young people aged 18–25 also face vulnerabilities after “aging out” of legal child protection. Including them in case management systems helps avoid protection gaps and supports a smoother transition into adulthood and autonomy.

The topic of Case management for Children and Youth on the Move (CYM) is a high priority for the projects “Enfants et Jeunes sur les Routes Migratoires d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Nord” ( EJM ) and “East African Migration Routes” ( EAMR), implemented in eight countries Guinea Conakry, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia1, as both projects support and engage in regional cooperation mechanisms. For Switzerland, strengthening regional cooperation of case management for CYM is directly linked to its humanitarian tradition and foreign policy priorities. Ensuring that children are protected throughout their migration journeys reflects Switzerland’s commitment to children’s rights and to human-rights-based migration governance. At the same time, supporting regional frameworks and practical cooperation across borders reinforces Switzerland’s role as a constructive partner to the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and continues to add value as a bridge-builder in multilateral processes.

This topic was found to be one of six priority topics within the work of the Knowledge and Policy Dialogue Unit for the Protection of Children and Youth on the Move (KAPCYM) Unit 2, grounded in the evidence mapping conducted by KAPCYM and validated by concerned key stakeholders, including leaders of the regional EJM and EAMR Projects, as well as experts from the Swiss federal administration.

Aim

The aim of this thematic brief is to formulate key advocacy messages to support advocacy activities and policy dialogue, grounded in good practices and lessons learned from the EJM and EAMR Projects, and from a variety of governmental actors (Swiss and other national authorities).

How to use this document:

The advocacy messages in this brief can be used as standalone elements for different policy dialogue and advocacy purposes. Each message is self-contained and supported by relevant good practices. As a result, some good practices may appear more than once. This is intentional and ensures that each message can be used independently without referring to other sections of the document.

Research Questions

The research questions answered in this thematic brief are the following:

• How can regional cooperation in case management strengthen protection systems for CYM across migration routes?

• Which case management systems exist in North, East, and West Africa, and which regional cooperation mechanisms are in place? Which factors hinder effective regional case management cooperation, and what are the consequences for CYM?

• What are good practices and lessons learned regarding case management of CYM, especially on regional cooperation within the EJM and EAMR Projects?

• Are there any other good practices by Swiss WoGA (Whole-of-Government approach) or other actors (beyond the EJM and EAMR Projects) on this topic in North, East, and West Africa?

• What messages can be formulated to advocate for stronger regional and cross-border cooperation in the development and roll-out of case management systems?

Conceptual Framework

As per the Inter-Agency Guidelines of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action 3 , child protection case management (also referred to hereafter as case management) is defined as “an approach to addressing the needs of an individual child who is at risk of harm or has been harmed. It is an essential part of child protection programming, which involves preventing and responding to abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence against children. The child and their family are supported by a caseworker in a systematic and timely way through direct support and referrals. Case management provides individualised, coordinated, holistic, multisectoral support for complex and often connected child protection concerns.”

Five key principles are central to this approach and should guide all interactions with, and actions taken on behalf of, children and their families:

• Best interests of the child 4

• Non-discrimination and inclusion.

• Meaningful child participation.

• Children’s survival and development to reach their full potential.

• Children’s safety and do no harm.

Building a trust-based relationship between the child, their family and the caseworker is therefore essential, as is effective coordination among multiple actors and services. In contexts of (mixed) migration and displacement , these processes become more complex, as children’s protection needs often transcend national boundaries and are shaped by fragmented systems and differing legal frameworks.

Case management responses provide concrete opportunities to strengthen formal and informal components of existing child protection systems and to improve the quality and availability of services. As per the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action 5 , system strengthening is an emphasised key principle, whose connection with case management is elaborated further in Standard 18: Case Management : “In all settings, systems exist to prevent and respond to child protection concerns. It is essential to understand and build on existing and emerging formal and informal systems and service structures that already protect children. These include traditional caregiving and parenting practices, as well as any existing case management systems. Harmonizing and integrating the activities of humanitarian actors with those of the long-term, in-country social service workforce helps avoid duplication or the creation of parallel case management systems, ensures sustainability, and promotes effective transition and exit strategies.”

The KAPCYM Unit understands regional cooperation on case management as the coordinated linking of two or more national case management systems to ensure that responses for children and youth on the move who are at risk of, or affected by, child protection concerns – such as violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, trafficking, separation, or other serious protection risks – remain connected, safe, and continuous across borders. Regional case management cooperation can take many forms: it may involve integrated multi-country or cross-border case management systems 6, the development of shared procedures and tools, or more limited arrangements such as bilateral or regional commitments to strengthen national systems so that responses remain coherent across countries. Across this spectrum, the common goal is to establish shared processes and procedures that allow children’s case information, decisions, and support to follow them safely and consistently throughout their journey. This may include enabling caseworkers in different countries to coordinate family tracing and verification, share information safely, and ensure that key decisions – such as family reunification, integration, or return – are made in line with international child protection case management principles.

The route-based approach, as used in mixed-migration and protection programming, recognizes that children and youth’s mobility unfolds over time and across different countries and border areas, with risks and needs emerging at multiple points along established routes. It provides a broader protection lens for understanding where risks intensify and where services are available. While it does not in itself establish the mechanisms required for regional case management, it helps identify where cooperation is needed, highlighting the places and actors along a route where stronger linkages between systems are most critical. Effective route-based interventions depend on both bottom-up and top-down mechanisms. Coordination often begins at the frontline – through caseworkers, community actors, and border officials who identify children and initiate practical collaboration across borders. These operational links must then be strengthened and formalized through top-down measures such as policy frameworks, standard procedures, and information management systems that sustain cooperation beyond individual relationships. When these levels work together, protection systems become both adaptable to field realities and institutionally anchored, ensuring that informal practices evolve into sustainable mechanisms with appropriate safeguards.

While this thematic brief focuses primarily on children under 18 years of age, it also acknowledges that many young people aged 18–25 remain vulnerable in situations of mobility. Turning 18 does not automatically confer independence, autonomy, or full capacity for self-protection; in practice, it often marks an abrupt loss of child protection support while exposure to risks persists. Case management for youth therefore requires a transitional approach – one that balances the promotion of autonomy and agency with continued access to basic services, guidance, psychosocial support, and livelihoods assistance. Strengthening linkages between child and youth protection systems is essential to prevent young people on the move from falling through institutional gaps at this critical stage of their journey.

Context

Children and youth on the move – especially unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) – face fragmented protection across North, West, and East Africa. Where regional and cross-border cooperation is weak , case files rarely follow children across borders; family tracing and reunification are delayed; assessments are repeated; and Best Interests Procedures are applied inconsistently. These gaps expose children to detention for immigration reasons, unsafe returns or refoulement, trafficking, exploitation, and prolonged family separation. Parallel, uncoordinated case management tools lead to coordination difficulties and confidentiality and safeguarding risks. In the absence of coordinated child-protection responses and common minimum standards, migration management actors frequently prioritise border control over children’s rights, which reframes children primarily as “migrants” rather than rights-holders. For migrant youth turning 18, the absence of coordinated referrals accelerates the already abrupt loss of entitlements and support, leaving them doubly vulnerable as both their age status and geographic location change simultaneously.

Across North, West, and East Africa, the protection landscape for children and youth on the move remains uneven and fragmented. Persistent legal and procedural incompatibilities between states, combined with political tensions, conflicts, and limited institutional capacity, continue to hinder the establishment of formal cross-border and transnational case management mechanisms. Many national child-protection systems remain overstretched and underfunded, with limited ability to share information safely or operate interoperable case management systems. In East Africa, for instance, cross-border and transnational case management is slowed by security constraints, conflicts, and uneven national engagement, while West Africa still faces duplication of tools, funding shortfalls, and restricted access in frontier zones. North Africa is marked by limited regional cooperation, re -

strictive migration policies, and persistent barriers to protection and service delivery. Together, these factors fragment protection responses and prevent a coherent continuum of care across migration routes.

Despite these persistent challenges, notable progress has been made toward more harmonized and coordinated protection systems. In East Africa, IGAD’s endorsement of a 2024 Regional Child Policy Framework and ongoing development of cross-border Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) represents a major institutional step toward intergovernmental coordination on child protection. West Africa’s Réseau Afrique de l’Ouest pour la protection des enfants (RAO) and its SOPs 7, formalized within the ECOWAS framework, continues to serve as a reference mechanism for regional cooperation on case management and has expanded collaboration between civil society and state actors. In North Africa (Morocco), International Social Service-General Secretariat (ISS-GS) supported the introduction of the Case Data database, strengthening information sharing and enabling harmonized case management across the EJM project in North and West Africa. Complementing these regional efforts, global tools such as UNHCR’s proGres Child Protection module 8 and the CPIMS+ platform 9 provide standardized systems for data management and case tracking, supporting interoperability and more coherent cross-border responses. However, the coexistence of multiple tools and systems can also create duplication, fragmentation, and confusion, making coordination more difficult and underscoring the need for greater alignment and data-sharing protocols across actors and regions.

A detailed overview of the context and barriers and challenges related to regional cooperation of case management of CYM in each country and project region can be found in the Annex

Methodology

This thematic brief was developed following a multi-method qualitative approach, beginning with an extensive evidence-mapping exercise to identify and synthesize the latest research, policy documents, and project documents. Then, a comprehensive desk review of regional frameworks, legal instruments, and institutional reports was conducted to contextualize these findings. To enrich our understanding with on-the-ground perspectives, particularly regarding good practices, KAPCYM carried out seven in-depth key informant interviews and three focus group discussions with consortium members from the EJM and EAMR Projects and partners. This combination of methods ensures that the brief’s recommendations are both evidence-based and grounded in stakeholder experience.

Advocacy Messages

This section provides a structured framework to support the development of advocacy messages aimed at strengthening the protection and rights of CYM. Each advocacy objective is presented through three concise components:

THE WHY

A short explanation of the underlying issue and its relevance as an advocacy priority.

THE MESSAGE

Pertinent key advocacy messages and calls to actions, adaptable to specific policy, and institutional contexts.

THE GOOD PRACTICES

References to selected evidence-based examples from the EJM and EAMR Projects or WoGA actors that illustrate effective approaches.

1. Place the best interests of children at the center.

WHY Children on the move, especially unaccompanied children, are children first and foremost – regardless of their migration status. As such, they are entitled to child-specific protection mechanisms that recognize their heightened vulnerability and particular needs. When policy responses focus primarily on migration management, child-specific safeguards risk being overlooked or applied inconsistently. In cross-border contexts, inconsistent standards, procedures, and interpretations of child protection principles can undermine continuity of care and the effective application of safeguards.

MESSAGE Regional organizations and member states are called to establish and uphold a common normative commitment that affirms the primacy of the child’s best interests in all stages of case management. This regional anchoring helps ensure that every child is treated first and foremost as a child, regardless of migration status, and provides a shared reference point for local practitioners, national systems, and cross-border cooperation mechanisms.

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experiences:

• East Africa: Through IGAD engagement, the EAMR Project supported the development of the IGAD Regional Child Policy Framework , which explicitly prohibits detention of children for immigration-related reasons and affirms that every child should be treated first and foremost as a child, regardless of their migration status.

• West Africa: The EJM Project supports the operation of the Réseau Afrique de l’Ouest (RAO) as a civil society–state mechanism that institutionalizes the right to protection for every child on the move across borders, enabling institutional anchoring, harmonized tools and monitoring , and the scaling of a bottom-up, rights-based model into a formal regional policy instrument adopted by ECOWAS.

Country Specific Experiences:

• Ethiopia: Through the EAMR Project, multiple consultations of children were organized in Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Kenya to include children’s voices in policy-making processes, ensuring their perspectives are reflected in the IGAD Regional Child Policy Framework . The consultation adhered to child safeguarding principles with a child-friendly approach and stringent safety measures.

• Tunisia: In a politically sensitive context, where migration is a delicate topic, the EJM Project focuses on child protection , working directly with child protection delegates and addressing relevant mobility dimensions in their work. This strategy allows addressing migration-related issues without exposing actors to direct political tensions, demonstrating contextual adaptation in advocacy approaches.

2. Embed child protection initiatives within regional and multilateral policy frameworks.

WHY Cross-border and transnational case management is strengthened by stable regional structures that help ensure continuity, avoid duplication, and sustain harmonized standards. Embedding initiatives within international or regional organizations enhances legitimacy and creates pathways for long-term sustainability beyond individual projects. At the same time, regional and multilateral policy frameworks are essential for ensuring consistency across national systems. Without shared principles and procedures, children on the move face uneven protection, and gaps in support along migration routes.

MESSAGE States as well as regional organizations are called upon to formally integrate inclusive child protection initiatives into regional and multilateral policy frameworks, to strengthen long-term mechanisms to allow for effective and efficient harmonization, cooperation, and oversight in transnational migrant child case management.

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experiences:

• East Africa: IGAD has formalized regional commitments into binding coordination mechanisms among its eight member states with the IGAD Regional Child Policy Framework and is developing case management-focused Cross-Border Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) with technical and financial support from the EAMR Project. By integrating child protection into an intergovernmental structure, IGAD ensures political legitimacy, harmonized standards, and continuity beyond individual projects. This approach avoids duplication, aligns security and migration authorities with child rights obligations, and creates a sustainable platform for cross-border case management.

• East Africa: The EAMR Project, which operates under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IGAD and Save the Children, ensured the inclusion of IGAD at a regional dialogue between IOM, UNICEF and Save the Children, which ensured the linkage of IGAD’s SOP efforts with other ongoing discussions and initiatives.

• East Africa: IGAD, which collaborates with the EAMR Project, deliberately involves ministries responsible for interior, defense, immigration, and justice to ensure security-related agencies understand and commit to child protection standards.

• West and North Africa: The EJM Project strengthened the Réseau Afrique de l’Ouest (RAO) as a civil society–state network to address practical protection gaps along migration routes in West Africa. Since 2016, the RAO has been a formal reference framework for transnational case management recognized by ECOWAS , with standards

and procedures for the protection and reintegration of CYM and other harmonized tools (i.e., protection panels), supported by various actors such as civil society focal points and their national networks, child protection departments, and community actors.

3. Harmonize case management tools and procedures across borders.

WHY Children crossing borders are at risk of falling through gaps when procedures and tools differ between countries. Parallel mechanisms and tools that are not aligned can make coordination difficult and slow down timely identification, care, referral, repatriation, reintegration, and follow-up. Harmonization allows for shared standards and principles, clearer coordination, and efficient identification, referral, and follow-up of children across jurisdictions – ultimately reducing the protection risks they may face.

MESSAGE States and regional organisations are called upon to develop, adopt, and implement standardized procedures and interoperable tools for case management, ensuring that child protection systems can function continuously across borders. Existing international and regional procedures and case management systems should seek synergies and work towards greater harmonization to enable effective cross-border collaboration and information exchange.

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experiences:

• East Africa: While supporting the development of the IGAD regional Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the protection and assistance of children on the move, the EAMR project supported development of two-column SOP formats showing each country’s procedures sideby-side. This systematic comparison approach enabled harmonization efforts while respecting national procedural variations, proving effective for identifying gaps where children could fall through systems.

• West and North Africa: The EJM Project supported the Réseau Afrique de l’Ouest (RAO) and the strengthening of RAO databases, particularly Case Data (operational base) and FineCash (financial base) , aiming to enable communication between systems to improve case management efficiency and financial monitoring in West Africa. With support of ISS-SG, Case Data is also used by EJM partner organization Bayti in Morocco. These harmonized tools are based on the use of ECOWAS Support Procedures and Standards for the Protection and Reintegration of Vulnerable Children on the Move and Young Migrants.

Country Specific Experience:

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project supported national roll-out of CPIMS+ , which is now government-owned. The project provided significant technical and financial backing for this system that strengthens child protection case management and family tracing/reunification

• Morocco: EJM Project partner ISS-SG, supported the development of national Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on children on the move 10, led by UNICEF and launched in October 2025. Developed between 2019 and 2023 with multi-stakeholder participation, these SOP have been tested by project partner Bayti, with plans to expand this support to additional partners in Phase II of the EJM Project. The SOP establish a harmonized methodology based on children’s best interests to ensure coordinated and sustainable solutions for children in migration, whether in Morocco, a third country, or their country of origin.

4. Combine bottom-up practitioner-based approaches with top-down policy frameworks.

WHY Effective route-based case management systems require both bottom-up approaches which are locally driven, practice-based mechanisms that ensure responsiveness and trust, as well as top-down mechanisms like regionally anchored policy frameworks that guarantee coherence, legitimacy, and sustainability along migration routes. Collaboration across governance levels ensures that policies are informed by practical realities on the ground and that operational mechanisms align with regional standards, maximizing protection for children on the move.

MESSAGE States, regional organizations, and civil society organizations (CSOs) are called to support mechanisms that integrate regional policy frameworks with frontline work from both institutional and community-led networks, ensuring that local practice and knowledge inform policy and that policies guide operational coordination

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experiences:

• West Africa: RAO , strengthened through the EJM Project, represents a bottom-up model . Originating from field-level coordination among civil society organizations, social workers, and local and national authorities, it evolved organically to meet practical protection needs along West African routes. Over time, this community-led network became institutionalized within ECOWAS, transforming operational cooperation into regional standards for transnational case management. The EJM Project supported RAO regional advocacy efforts to strengthen collaboration between state and civil-society actors and to advocate for bal -

anced investment between system strengthening activities and the financial support for the delivery of direct services to children.

• East Africa: The IGAD Child Protection Policy Framework and cross-border SOP , developed with technical and financial support from the EAMR Project, constitute a top-down , regionally driven model. As an intergovernmental mechanism, IGAD provides the political mandate and policy structure for harmonizing child protection standards and procedures among its Member States in the Horn of Africa. Through these instruments, and by including the local levels – through the consultation and fieldwork with local practitioners, and the inclusion of simulation exercises – regional commitments are translated into formal coordination, shared protocols, and interoperable systems across borders.

5. Strengthen cross-border coordination and referral mechanisms.

WHY Children and youth on the move cross multiple jurisdictions, and their protection depends on functional coordination between countries. Structured cross-border mechanisms allow for family tracing, case follow-up, and continuous service delivery in the child’s best interests, even amid conflicts, and otherwise insecure contexts.

MESSAGE States and regional organizations are called to formalize cross-border coordination structures, for example through joint MoUs or cross-border referral pathways, ensuring operational collaboration between national authorities and civil society organisations. Civil society actors should be actively involved, with guaranteed safe access to border areas.

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experiences:

• West Africa: The RAO offers a unique coordination model bringing together more than 1,000 civil society and government actors around common procedures, a harmonized information system, and functional governance provided by ECOWAS and SSI-AO (a EJM Project consortium partner).

• West Africa: The EJM Project reinforced cross-border coordination under the RAO framework by supporting cross-border operational committees such as the Mali-Guinea coordination group, which facilitates family tracing, referrals, and follow-up across borders, ensuring continuity of protection. New country pairs such as Senegal-Guinea and Burkina Faso-Cote d’Ivoire have also been included with support by the EJM Project.

Country Specific Experiences:

• Sudan: Outreach and other teams of the EAMR Project have been able to use messaging apps to remain available to peers during migration and after arrival in new locations. The teams could also support referrals and link mapping information from Save the Children and other organisations with project participants.

• Sudan: Through the EAMR Project, close coordination with other international and national stakeholders is supported to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication of efforts. For instance, the Save the Children project team works in close coordination with the Migrants Resource Centre (MRC) of IOM , enabling data sharing and experience exchange across the East Africa–Yemen corridor.

• Morocco: The EJM Project promoted North–West Africa linkage by integrating Morocco into the RAO network, particularly by means of the Case Data database, fostering peer learning between West African and North African case managers and laying groundwork for a broader inter-regional system

• Mali: The EJM Project established a good collaboration with national authorities (e.g., the Border Police Directorate) and embassies/consulates of countries of origin in issuing travel documents such as laissez passer for voluntary returns and family reunification of children and youth on the move.

• Mali: The EJM Project supported the creation the Groupement Local de Coopération transfrontalière (GLCT), which strengthens cross-border mechanisms for the protection of children and youth on the move between Mali and Côte d’Ivoire and collaborates with the commission for the promotion and protection of women and children within GLCT.

6. Leverage anti-trafficking initiatives to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration.

WHY Anti-trafficking frameworks provide entry points for collaboration between child and youth protection, migration, and security stakeholders. Coordinating across sectors improves identification, referral, and protection of children, especially in high-risk migration contexts. At the same time, given the sensitivity of the topic, effective anti-trafficking collaboration requires a careful approach and should be firmly grounded in child rights and protection principles.

MESSAGE States and regional organisations are called to integrate anti-trafficking measures with child and youth protection strategies and facilitating joint operations, information sharing, and cross-sector coordination. This must be done while safeguarding against practices that may lead to criminalization, profiling, or harm to children and youth, particularly those in irregular migration situations.

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experiences:

• East Africa: The EAMR Project identified anti-trafficking work as an effective entry point for multi-sectoral engagement, providing access to migration management officials who might otherwise be reluctant to participate in child protection initiatives. This approach created bridges between different sectoral priorities and enabled more comprehensive stakeholder engagement in case management coordination discussions.

• East Africa: Save the Children published a cross-border protection guide (“Cross-Border Protection of Children on the Move in East and Southern Africa: A quick reference guide for bilateral coordination” 11), which shows synergies between trafficking and cross-border coordination.

Country Specific Experience:

• Mali: The EJM Project supported the RAO network in conducting a joint operation with the police ( brigade de protection des mineurs ) in 2023, identifying 46 victims of trafficking through coordinated efforts between RAO and law enforcement, demonstrating effective collaboration between child protection and security actors.

7. Promote secure interoperable digital systems for cross-border case management.

WHY Digital tools enhance efficiency, accountability, and real-time coordination between countries. When designed around the best interests and participation of the child, interoperable systems allow secure information-sharing and supports evidence-based and timely protection decision-making.

MESSAGE States and regional bodies are called to invest in interoperable, secure and child-centred digital platforms and databases to improve cross-border case management and facilitate safe information exchange between governments, regional networks, and civil society. To be effective, these systems should be child-friendly and ethical, and include strong safeguards that protect their personal information and respect their privacy and right to give informed consent.

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experience:

• West and North Africa: The EJM Project supported development and strengthening of RAO databases, particularly Case Data (operational base) and FineCash (financial base) , aiming to enable communication between systems to improve case management efficiency and financial monitoring in West Africa, including Morocco. As a concrete example, the Case Data platform has been piloted to enable secure information sharing between Morocco and countries

of origin, primarily Guinea through a partnership with the EJM Project consortium partner MAEJT . Each young person has a unique file comprising five standardized forms (two evaluation forms, one form on family situation in country of origin, one personalized support project form, one monitoring-evaluation form). The system generates automatic notifications allowing real-time coordination between case managers. Access is strictly controlled with only case managers, local partners, and SSI-AO/ISS-GS having access.

Country Specific Experience:

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project supported establishment and national roll-out of CPIMS+/Primero , which is now government-owned but received significant technical and financial backing from the project. The system equips social workers with tools to address gender-based violence, facilitate family tracing and reunification, and design strong child protection services.

8. Strengthen the capacities of frontline actors and foster peer-to-peer exchange.

WHY Cross-border case management depends on skilled, well-coordinated and equipped actors. Continuous training and peer exchange (also across borders) ensure quality, harmonized approaches and build networks that can respond effectively across borders. Sustaining these capacities requires adequate resources, as underfunded systems risk fragmentation, deprioritization of policy efforts, and unsustainable progress in building resilient protection structures.

MESSAGE States, regional organisations, NGOs and CSOs are called to invest in capacity building and structured peer exchange programs for frontline actors, fostering collaboration, technical skills, and cross-border coordination. To support these efforts, donors are urged to provide targeted funding for case management and policy-level collaboration, ensuring resilient, and sustainable protection systems.

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experiences:

• East Africa: The EAMR Project institutionalized a secondment model by supporting the financing of a child-protection expert within IGAD to lead the development of the IGAD Regional Child Policy Framework and regional SOP, enhancing the organisation’s technical capacity.

• West Africa: The EJM Project implemented a regional capacity-building programme through RAO for community support workers, covering case management standards, psychosocial support, training, financial management of associations, and institutional development, thereby strengthening coordination in Mali, Niger, and Guinea.

• West Africa: The EJM Project established pools of trainers on the several aspects of protection of children and youth on the move, including case management. The trainers, composed of state actors and civil society representatives, then conducted cascade training for local actors in their respective countries.

Country Specific Experiences:

• Egypt: The EAMR Project has trained local partners to have committees in place with case managers providing support, notably cash, to undocumented children.

• Sudan and Ethiopia: The EAMR Project supported the strengthening of a cross-border taskforce , enabling real-time collaboration between frontline caseworkers on identification, referral, and family tracing of children crossing the border between Metemma and Gallabat. Shelter and psychosocial support are available to the children stranded in this border area.

• Sudan: The EAMR Project supported seconded staff within government local services at the case worker level. These seconded positions have proven particularly helpful and useful for disseminating vulnerability-focused selection and prioritization approaches for service access, placing needs above administrative status considerations.

• Tunisia: The EJM Project supported the training of 42 new child protection delegates to strengthen general case management skills, introducing concepts and tools of transnational management, and creating lasting links between professionals. The project facilitated creation of informal but sustainable networks through a WhatsApp group gathering training participants.

• Tunisia and Morocco: The EJM Project consortium partners ISS-GS and SSI-AO provided capacity building on case management for local partners, such as ADDCI and Bayti in Morocco. The training also included transnational work.

• Morocco: The EJM Project supported regular “case conferences” , allowing collective discussions on complex situations, mobilizing expertise from different actors. This practice transforms case management from an individual act into a collective and reflective process. Regular technical meetings with EJM Project consortium partner SSI-AO allowed for refining approaches and resolving technical or methodological difficulties.

• Mali: Capacity-strengthening by EJM Project partner NGOs to local authorities, civil society organizations, and community actors on how to take account needs of CYM (e.g., protection, education, vocational training).

9. Engage communities and local actors as active partners in cross-border and transnational protection.

WHY Children and youth on the move are often most effectively reached through trusted community networks. Engaging local leaders, youth groups, refugee groups, and diaspora networks enhances early identification, referral, and reintegration, complementing existing protection systems. These actors can also play an important role during crises and support ad hoc structures to protect children and youth on the move.

MESSAGE States and regional organizations are called to support and collaborate with community-based structures and local actors, ensuring that child protection mechanisms are rooted in the realities of affected populations, and resilient in times of crisis.

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experiences:

• East Africa: The EAMR Project established local outreach teams , which are composed of migrant youth, and they establish community linkages, raise awareness, facilitate the engagement of community leaders, lead in identification, and conduct referrals. This approach is particularly vital for reaching irregular migrants who are otherwise hard to reach, as the outreach teams can navigate linguistic and cultural barriers that formal systems cannot address, and and are better positioned to build trust.

• West Africa: The EJM Project reinforced cross-border coordination under the RAO framework by supporting cross-border operational committees such as the Mali-Guinea coordination group, which facilitates family tracing, referrals, and follow-up across borders, ensuring continuity of protection. New country pairs such as Senegal-Guinea and Burkina Faso-Cote d’Ivoire have been included as well with support by the EJM Project.

Country Specific Experiences:

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project leveraged CommunityBased Child Protection Mechanisms including child parliaments and participation platforms as strong local structures for cross-border linkages.

• Sudan: Outreach and other teams of the EAMR Project have been able to use messaging apps to remain available to peers during migration and after arrival in new locations. The teams could also support referrals and link mapping information from Save the Children and other organisations with project participants.

• Niger: The EJM Project supported the strengthening of village protection committees through training and technical support, improving the quality of community-based interventions. The project also ensures the strengthening of the ties between community based and local institutional actors through regular coordination meetings, reinforcing comprehensive local governance protection mechanisms and supporting state led sustainable decentralization processes.

• Niger: The EJM Project promoted diaspora involvement in Niger to support family tracing and reunification, leveraging transnational community networks as intermediaries for information sharing. The project supports the strengthening of the technical and material capacities of host families as well as their involvement in the protection of CYM (e.g., reception and accommodation, food, care, etc.).

• Niger: Awareness raising and community advocacy activities supported by the EJM Project contribute to strengthening community knowledge about protection risks and needs of children on the move, as well as their active involvement in case detection. Community mobilization actions led by the EJM Project consortium partner MAEJT strengthen social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between CYM and host communities. These actions are essential for evolving social norms and traditional practices that may expose children to risks.

10. Ensure a transitional approach to include youth in child protection mechanisms.

WHY Turning 18 often marks an abrupt end to child protection support, despite continued vulnerability. Many young people aged 18–25 remain in mobility situations with limited access to services, guidance, and psychosocial support. Without a transitional approach – one that balances the promotion of autonomy with support – youth on the move are at risk from falling through institutional and protection gaps during their journey.

MESSAGE States, regional bodies, and other organisations are called to adopt a flexible, transitional approach that extends child protection case management principles to youth turning 18, ensuring continuity of care, psychosocial support, and access to livelihoods during this critical phase.

GOOD PRACTICES

Regional Experience:

• East Africa: The EAMR Project’s IGAD secondment provided a review and supported the final stages of the IGAD Youth Policy 2023 , which includes clear commitments for youth (mainly returnees, but also access to MHPSS and medical services for youth on the move).

Country Specific Experiences:

• Ethiopia: The EAMR Project supported livelihood programs and temporary work permits for out-of-camp refugee youth, which reduced risks linked to informal employment and supported autonomy.

• Sudan: Seconded staff within government services applied vulnerability-focused prioritization , placing needs above administrative status, including for youth.

• Morocco and Guinea: EJM Project partners accompanied youth in obtaining consular documentation and asylum registration , facilitating access to services even after turning 18.

• Mali: The EJM Project facilitated access to vocational training for youth aged 18 to 25 years.

• Mali: By collaborating with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Restoring Family Links (RFL) Project , the EJM Project has supported the return of a group of Liberian migrants from Mali to their country of origin, including youth between 18–25 years.

Annex: Country Overview

Country/ Region Policies

*

East Africa (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia)

• Global Compact on Refugees (B, 2.5) recommends cross-border cooperation to facilitate continuum of care for children on the move.

• Global Compact for Migration (Objective 7) calls for establishment of cross-border cooperation frameworks to protect migrant children along migratory routes.

• IGAD Regional Child Policy Framework endorsed in December 2024, guiding member states toward harmonized cross-border child protection policies / SOP.

• IGAD developing cross-border SOP for protection and assistance of children on the move (pilot phase: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia)

• Regional Migrant Response Plan 2025 includes flow monitoring and family tracing actions across Ethiopia / Somalia / Djibouti / Kenya.

• The proGres Child Protection (CP) module is UNHCR’s built-in, web-based case-management module used by UNHCR teams to register, manage, and follow up child protection cases in refugee operations. UNHCR guidance encourages this module for UNHCR and CPIMS+ for partners, with PRIMES / PING as the broader interoperability approach supporting safer data exchange where agreements exist.

Barriers / Challenges

• Different or incompatible legislation between countries.

• Complexity of stakeholders and their coordination

• Gaps in national protection systems.

• Fragmented case management, family tracing and reunification processes.

• Negative attitudes towards children in situations of migration or displacement.

• Persistent tensions between migration management priorities focused on border security and child protection approaches emphasizing rights and best interests.

• Political tensions between countries (e.g., SudanEthiopia, Sudan-Egypt) hinder formal cross-border collaboration.

• Access limitations and security concerns constrain implementation.

• Multi-sectoral coordination tensions with migration management actors reluctant to engage meaningfully in child protection spaces.

Egypt

• Law on the Regulation of Asylum and International Protection (December 2024) – Egypt’s first domestic asylum law – introduces case management responsibilities for the Ministry of Interior, establishes a new National Asylum and Protection Authority (NAPA), and foresees procedures for registration, documentation, and appeals. It also recognizes specific protection measures for women and children.

• National Child Law No. 12 of 1996 (amended 2008) provides the overarching framework for child protection through the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), which coordinates case management for children in vulnerable situations, including migrants and refugees.

• Law 64 of 2010 on Combating Trafficking in Persons and the National Coordinating Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM & TIP) serve as key national frameworks for the protection of migrant children at risk of trafficking or exploitation.

• Regional / cross-border dimension: Egypt participates in the IGAD Regional Migration Dialogue for the Horn of Africa (RMDS) and contributes to IGAD’s work on crossborder SOP for children on the move. However, implementation remains limited to information exchange; no formal bilateral mechanisms yet exist with Sudan or Libya for cross-border child protection or family tracing.

• As of 31 March 2025, 942,000 refugees and asylumseekers were registered with UNHCR in Egypt, from over 60 nationalities. Data indicates that women and children account for 46.4 % of registered refugee households in Egypt as of 31 May 2025.

• Children on the move face many risks – including arrest, detention, violence, and trafficking – especially along the Sudan–Egypt route and coastal migration paths.

• Unaccompanied and separated children often have no guardians and limited access to official protection services.

• Implementation of the new asylum law is still in its early phase, and coordination between asylum and child-protection systems remains weak.

• No formal cross-border cooperation with Sudan or Libya; family tracing and reunification depend on NGOs and informal networks.

• Security-focused migration management (border control, detention, deportation) often overrides child rights and best-interest principles.

• Social and protection services are overstretched, with few trained staff and limited funding to manage rising caseloads of migrant and refugee children.

* Sources consulted for the compilation of this Country Overview are listed below under “References”.

Country/ Region

Ethiopia

Sudan

• As of 30 June 2025, hosted 1,080,563 people of concern (1,009,636 refugees and 70,927 asylumseekers) in 24 camps across five regional states and over 70,000 urban refugees in Addis Ababa.

• National Case Management Framework (2018) emphasizes coordination among ministries, community participation, and alternative care directives.

• CPIMS+/Primero launched 31 May 2024 by the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (MoWSA) and UNICEF for national child protection case management.

• Ethiopia-Djibouti MoU (2025) created joint investigation team for anti-trafficking, dismantling trafficking networks moving thousands of Ethiopians across borders.

• Ethiopia’s first national anti-trafficking hotline launched, integrated with National Referral Mechanism and civil society coalitions like EHAAT (East & Horn of Africa Anti-Trafficking Network).

• Better Migration Management (BMM III) by GIZ supports referrals of unaccompanied minors and stakeholder exchanges between Ethiopia and Djibouti to operationalize cross-border protection.

• A National Case Management Framework was developed in 2018 with support from UNICEF to professionalize and standardize child protection responses, emphasizing coordination among ministries, community participation, and alternative care directives aligned with constitutional and child policy commitments.

• CPIMS+ (Primero) launched nationally in April 2022 with National Council on Child Welfare (NCCW), Ministry of Social Development, and UNICEF to standardize digital child-protection case management.

• National Council for Child Welfare (NCCW) serves as main government counterpart at national and state levels.

• Commissioner for Refugees (COR) under Ministry of Interior responsible for camp management, borderrelated refugee issues, and refugee case management.

• Formal cross-border case management framework exists between NCCW and ICRC for family tracing and reunification.

• Child Protection Area of Responsibility led by UNICEF coordinates inter-agency efforts

Barriers / Challenges

• In 2024, 23,698 UASC and other vulnerable children identified; number of unaccompanied children leaving Ethiopia along Eastern Migration Route rose 27 % (from 6,037 in 2023 to 7,680 in 2024).

• Between 2014 and August 2024, at least 3,696 children recorded dead or missing while migrating

• Ministry of Women & Social Affairs and local offices face resource and workforce shortages, especially at woreda level.

• Fragmented referral linkages, weak accountability, limited data-sharing mechanisms.

• High staff turnover, limited budget allocations, lack of unified national database.

• Federal structure and management of multiple complex borders requires different engagement strategies than simpler cross-border contexts.

• Cross-border coordination with Sudan remains fragile due to ongoing conflict.

• World’s largest internal displacement crisis: ~10.1 million IDPs (as of 28 May 2025); ~11.5 million total IDPs of whom 53 % are children (6.1 million children).

• More than 2 million children fled across borders since April 2023.

• Over 16.5 million school-aged children out of school amid conflict and displacement (April 2025).

• Government systems lack sufficient capacity and resources for effective case management and family tracing.

• Political tensions and logistical challenges hinder effective cross-border referrals and service delivery.

• Lack of documentation including situations of statelessness among descendants of past refugee populations.

• Urban refugees and migrants often denied services if lacking official refugee registration, deprioritized compared to IDPs.

• Security forces conduct periodic arrest and detention campaigns targeting urban migrants and refugees.

• Economic hardship: foreign currency school fees, high healthcare costs, exploitative rental conditions.

• Existing SOP for case management not fully implemented or embedded within government systems.

• Formal cross-border framework with ICRC non-functional in practice due to political tensions; Sudanese caseworkers not allowed to operate at border points.

Country/ Region

West Africa (Tunisia, Morocco, Mali, Niger, Guinea Conakry)

• Global Compact on Refugees (B, 2.5) recommends cross-border cooperation to facilitate continuum of care for children on the move.

• Global Compact for Migration (Objective 7) calls for establishment of cross-border cooperation frameworks to protect migrant children along migratory routes.

• ECOWAS 1979 free movement protocol organizes citizen mobility but addresses little about children who move.

• RAO (West African Network) now covers 16 countries.

• ECOWAS standards developed within RAO framework adopted as reference mechanisms for care and management of transnational cases.

• Child protection in mobility integrated as one of five priority axes in ECOWAS strategic framework.

• The proGres Child Protection (CP) module is UNHCR’s built-in, web-based case-management module used by UNHCR teams to register, manage, and follow up child protection cases in refugee operations. UNHCR guidance encourages this module for UNHCR and CPIMS+ for partners, with PRIMES / PING as the broader interoperability approach supporting safer data exchange where agreements exist.

• Strong emigration of populations toward neighboring countries and Europe via Maghreb.

• Important transit crossroads for migrants from Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone heading to other West African countries, Maghreb, and Europe.

• Main corridors for departures: Conakry–Mamou–Sénégal, Conakry–Mamou–Siguiri–Mali, Conakry–Kissidou–Zérékoré–Côte d’Ivoire.

• Transit corridors: Sierra Leone (Kambia)–Forécariah–Conakry, Liberia (Monrovia)–Zérékoré-Siguiri.

• Children and youth represent large part of migratory flows (departure and transit).

• CPIMS+ platform adopted in 2023 by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Promotion of Women and Children, with support by UNICEF and the EU.

• Establishment of committees for the accreditation and approval of foster families at the community level. These committees will officially validate the documents.

• Protocol / bilateral agreement between Guinea and Mali on child protection, which has been in place since 2005 and is currently being reviewed. However, the main challenge is its implementation and monitoring mechanism.

• Process of establishing an agreement between Guinea and Sierra Leone on combating child trafficking.

• Good cooperation between border police and national child protection agencies in Guinea, Senegal, Mali, and Sierra Leone.

• Mission by Sierra Leone’s National Directorate to Guinea as part of the fight against child trafficking.

• Virtual meeting between Guinea’s National Directorate for Child Protection and Sierra Leone’s National Directorate.

Barriers / Challenges

• Children on the move face multiple risks: broken family links, homelessness, psychological stress, restricted access to training / employment, stigma and discrimination, loss of protective measures at age 18, lack of future prospects.

• Continuity of care and quality across borders poses important challenges including lack of transnational collaboration.

• Tool duplication with parallel development of similar tools by different actors and donors.

• Insufficient funds allocated to direct child protection (services, emergency accommodation, food, clothing).

• Security situation in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger creates growing difficulties; Burkina Faso prohibits all data collection.

• Departure of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso from ECOWAS.

• Children and youth on the move face risks of exploitation, unsafe work, trafficking and violence, especially along main corridors such as Conakry–Mamou–Siguiri–Mali.

• Few specialized services exist outside the capital; shelters, psychosocial care, and family tracing remain under-resourced.

• Cross-border cooperation is inconsistent – committees function only in some border areas, and coordination with neighbouring states depends on NGO initiatives.

• Economic hardship and unemployment push children into risky migration and irregular routes.

• Limited social workforce and absence of a national case-management database hinder monitoring and follow-up for unaccompanied children.

Country/

Mali

Niger

• Country of strong migratory tradition shaped by strategic geographic position in heart of West Africa; country of departure, transit, and reception.

• 427,750 migrants registered in 2024 at six IOM monitoring points (33 nationalities, mainly West African); UASC represented 6 % of those on the move.

• 402,167 internally displaced persons in December 2024 (58 % children aged 0–17); 191,000+ refugees and asylum seekers.

• National case management system since 2015 with guidelines revised 2020, inspired by ECOWAS / RAO standard procedures.

• CPIMS+ platform adopted with UNICEF support.

• SOP on best interests of child being developed with IOM support.

• Protocol / bilateral agreement between Guinea and Mali on child protection, which has been in place since 2005 and is currently being reviewed. However, the main challenge is its implementation and monitoring mechanism.

• Good cooperation between border police and national child protection agencies in Guinea, Senegal, Mali, and Sierra Leone.

• Country of departure and strategic transit for population on the move in West and Central Africa.

• Migrants primarily from West Africa (Mali, Nigeria, Guinea Conakry, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Benin, Togo) and Central / East Africa (Chad, Cameroon, CAR, DRC, Eritrea, Somalia).

• Major corridors: Burkina Faso–Niamey, Gao (Mali)–Niamey, Kano (Nigeria)–Zinder, Katsina (Nigeria)–Maradi-Zinder, Malanville (Benin)–Niamey.

• ECOWAS standard procedures constitute operational reference framework; harmonized national tool exists.

• Community village protection committees established and legally framed by state (decree).

• CPIMS+ platform adopted in 2025 by the Ministry of the Promotion of Women, Children and Family

Barriers / Challenges

• Security deterioration in frontier zones and transit regions (Mopti, Gao, Tombouctou, Kidal); armed conflicts impact identification and care of vulnerable children.

• Weak presence of protection actors and humanitarian access problems in conflict zones.

• State role limited to coordination and technical support; limited state resource mobilization.

• Weak capacity of reception structures facing frequent saturation, lack of human and material resources.

• Host families used as alternative solutions lack means, capacity, and institutional framework.

• Insufficient cross-border cooperation: only one operational committee active (with Guinea Conakry); no committees with Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Mauritania despite important movements of population.

• Security degradation in origin zones (Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria) makes return extremely difficult; villages sometimes entirely displaced or destroyed.

• Border police agents have limited knowledge of legal frameworks and protocols governing UASC case management; administrative harassment.

• Limited collaboration from certain consular agents, particularly Nigerian authorities.

• Crucial lack of financial resources for protection services.

• Several localities lack appropriate reception structures; existing structures have limited capacity.

• Weak coordination between RAO network and IOM; lack of harmonization of procedures and approaches.

Country/ Region

Morocco

• Country of destination, transit, and departure at heart of complex migratory dynamics.

• Hosts 148,152 foreign migrants (2024 census) including regular / irregular migrants, refugees, asylum seekers; 1,024 UASC identified by IOM in 2024.

• 78,685 people intercepted attempting to reach EU in 2024 (58 % West Africa, 12 % North Africa, 9 % East / Central Africa).

• National Strategy for Immigration and Asylum (SNIA) includes 11 sectoral programs.

• Decrees adopted in 2024 to create 82 local child protection committees (DTIPE); to this date only 23 fully operational.

• Official standards for caring for children in migration adopted 2023 but implementation remains partial.

• MoU between the national anti-trafficking commissions of Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire to strengthen bilateral cooperation in protection, prevention, and prosecution in cases of human trafficking.

• UNICEF / IOM / UNHCR organized the second meeting of the International Data Alliance for Children on the Move (IDAC) in Rabat, hosted by the High Commission for Planning (HCP). Morocco’s experience in including migrants as community facilitators during the national census was highlighted as a best practice.

• UNICEF provided technical assistance in 2024 to support operationalization of territorial child protection committees, including development of the Integrated Child Protection Information System (SIIPE), service and capacity mapping, establishment of provincial action plans.

Tunisia • Criminalization of irregular migration and political sensitivity.

• Sub-Saharan children and youth coexist with vulnerable Tunisian young people in internal mobility situations.

• Since 2024, all files of children on the move handled at central level by general delegate for child protection in Tunis.

Barriers / Challenges

• Children and youth on the move in Morocco face profound family and social ruptures: separated from families, often without news for months or even years, navigating an information void that compromises any possibility of coherent life projects.

• Multidimensional challenges: linguistic and cultural barriers, daily discrimination, lack of access to basic services, and impossibility of building a life project due to lack of information about family situation of origin and appropriate support.

• Systemic limitations:

– National protection systems reveal their limitations when faced with the transnational dimension of children’s journeys.

– Fundamental paradox: while journeys of children and youth are inherently transnational, institutional responses remain compartmentalized within national or even security-focused logics.

– Young Guineans constitute the majority of cases identified by the Bayti association, highlighting concentration of specific nationality groups.

• Children on the move – both Tunisian and foreign – face discrimination, violence, and exploitation, particularly in coastal and border areas.

• Unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) have limited access to safe accommodation, legal assistance, or guardianship.

• Detention and pushbacks at borders with Libya and Algeria expose children to severe protection risks, including family separation and refoulement.

• Political context has become increasingly restrictive, making it difficult and sometimes unsafe for organizations to work on migration and mobility issues. This limits both service delivery and evidence generation on children on the move.

• Social service capacity is limited, especially outside Tunis; many child-protection staff lack training on migration-related risks.

• The centralisation of child-protection files since 2024 has not yet improved coverage or response times.

References – Country Overview

Egypt

• Amnesty International, Egypt: Sudanese Refugees and Children at Risk of Abuse and Deportation (2024).

• Baker Institute, What Egypt’s New Asylum Law Means for Refugees (2025).

• EAMR internal project update, MMC-EAMR Partnership (2022).

• EAMR, internal document, External project evaluation, phase 1 (2023).

• UNDP, Egypt Refugee and Resilience Response Plan (ERRRP) 2025 (24 June 2025).

• IOM Egypt, SOPs for Protecting Children on the Move in Egypt (2024).

• KAPCYM mapping.

• Mixed Migration Centre, Between Pledges and Practice: Egypt’s complex mixed migration policy landscape (2025).

• Mixed Migration Centre, Mixed migration consequences of Sudan’s conflict – Round 2 (22 June 2023).

• Samuel Hall, EAMR project context analysis, internal document (2024).

• Save the children, EAMR, internal document, Annual regional cross learning event report (November 2022).

• Save the children, EAMR, internal document, EAMR Egypt advocacy action plan (no date).

• Save the children, EAMR, internal document, East Africa Migration Route policy mapping, final report (2022).

• Save the children, EAMR, internal document, External engagement plan, East African Migration Routes project engagement plan (2024).

• Save the children, Tipping points to turning points: How can programmes and policies better respond to the risks of child trafficking and exploitation on the central mediterranean route? (2022).

• UNHCR Egypt, Fact Sheet March 2025; Registered Population as of 31 May 2025 (2025).

• UNHCR, Mapping of protection services, A routes-based approach to protection services along mixed movement routes (2024).

• UNICEF Egypt, Situation analysis of children and adolescents (2024).

Ethiopia

• GIZ, Promoting safe, orderly and regular migration from and within the Horn of Africa, Better Migration Management Programme III (no date): www.giz.de/en/projects/bettermigration-management-iii

• GIZ, Uniting for change: The East & Horn of Africa Anti-Trafficking Network champions migrant protection (26 May 2025): www.giz.de/en/regions/africa/ethiopia/news/uniting-changeeast-horn-africa-anti-trafficking-network-champions

• IOM, Migration along the Eastern Route, Report 58, JanuaryDecember 2024 (6 March 2025): https://dtm.iom.int/ reports/2024-yearly-eastern-route-report

• KAPCYM mapping.

• Fana Media Corporation, MoWSA, UNICEF launch Child Protection Information Management System (31 May 2024) : www.fanamc.com/english/mowsa-unicef-launch-childprotection-information-management-system/

• Project teams of the EAMR project.

• IOM, Ethiopia Launches First National Anti-Trafficking Hotline to Protect Vulnerable Individuals (25 March 2025): https://ethiopia.iom.int/news/ethiopia-launches-first-nationalanti-trafficking-hotline-protect-vulnerable-individuals

• UNICEF Ethiopia, Annual Report 2019.

• UNICEF Ethiopia, Country Programme (July 2020–June 2025): www.unicef.org/ethiopia/media/3806/file/Country%20Kit.pdf

• UNICEF, Ethiopia Humanitarian Situation Report 3, Mid-Year Report, January-June 2025: www.unicef.org/media/173276/file/ Ethiopia-Humanitarian-SitRep-No.3-%28Mid-Year%29-30June-2025.pdf.pdf

Sudan

• CPIMS (no date): www.cpims.org/.

• KAPCYM mapping.

• Project teams of the EAMR project.

• Sudan’s Initial Report on the Implementation of The African Charter on The Rights and Welfare of The Child (October 2010).

• UNICEF Sudan, “Sudan is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis – and children are paying the highest price” (24 October 2025) : www.unicef.org/sudan/press-releases/sudan-worlds-largesthumanitarian-crisis-and-children-are-paying-highest-price

• UNICEF, UNICEF and partners launch digital tool for child protection case management in Sudan (4 April 2022) : www.unicef.org/sudan/press-releases/unicef-and-partnerslaunch-digital-tool-child-protection-case-management-sudan

• UNICEF. Humanitarian Situation Report 32, January–June 2025 (29 July 2025): www.unicefusa.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/ UNICEF-Sudan-SitRep-JantoJune2025.pdf

Guinea Conakry

• ECOWAS, Procédures de Prise en charge et Standards de la CEDEAO pour la Protection et la Réintégration des Enfants Vulnérables concernés par la Mobilité et des Jeunes Migrants : https://www.ssi-suisse.org/sites/default/files/2017-06/04001_ ecowas_content_FR_03_7_0.pdf

• KAPCYM mapping.

Mali

• MMC, Vies en transit: les routes migratoires en Afrique de l’Ouest Analyse des mouvements et risques rencontrés par les enfants et les jeunes Rapport de recherche MMC (June 2025): https://mixedmigration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/369_ FR_Final_Lives-in-transit-YOUTH-Migration-routes-in-WestAfrica-REPORT30Jun.pdf

• Project teams of the EJM project.

• EJM project, Stratégie régionale de plaidoyer du projet EJM (March 2024).

• KAPCYM mapping.

• Ministère de la promotion de la femme, de l’enfant et de la famille, Lignes directrices, gestion de cas de protection de l’enfant au Mali (August 2020), https://protectionmali2.wordpress.com/ wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lignes-direct-gestion-de-casmali-2020_vf.pdf

• MMC, Vies en transit: les routes migratoires en Afrique de l’Ouest Analyse des mouvements et risques rencontrés par les enfants et les jeunes Rapport de recherche MMC (June 2025) : https://mixedmigration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/369_ FR_Final_Lives-in-transit-YOUTH-Migration-routes-in-WestAfrica-REPORT30Jun.pdf

• Procédures de Prise en charge et Standards de la CEDEAO pour la Protection et la Réintégration des Enfants Vulnérables concernés par la Mobilité et des Jeunes Migrants : https://www.ssi-suisse.org/sites/default/files/2017-06/04001_ ecowas_content_FR_03_7_0.pdf

• Project teams of the EJM project.

Morocco

• EJM project, internal document, capitalization mission (2024).

• EJM project, internal document, Gender and diversity analysis (2023).

• EJM project, Médecins du Monde, Mapping of health and protection services for children and youth on the move (no date).

• EJM project, Regional advocacy strategy (2024).

• ICMPD, Unaccompanied and Separated Children in the Mediterranean Region (2025).

• International Social Service (ISS), Children on the Move : Comprehensive Report (2025).

• IOM Morocco, Annual Report (2025).

• KAPCYM mapping.

• Powers of Africa, Human Trafficking Agreement between Morocco and Côte d'Ivoire (2025).

• Project teams of the EJM project.

• UNHCR, Mapping of protection services, A routes-based approach to protection services along mixed movement routes (2024).

• UNICEF Morocco, Annual Report (2025).

Niger

• ECOWAS, Procédures de Prise en charge et Standards de la CEDEAO pour la Protection et la Réintégration des Enfants Vulnérables concernés par la Mobilité et des Jeunes Migrants : https://www.ssi-suisse.org/sites/default/files/2017-06/04001_ ecowas_content_FR_03_7_0.pdf

• EJM project, Stratégie régionale de plaidoyer du projet EJM (March 2024).

• KAPCYM mapping.

• MMC, Vies en transit : les routes migratoires en Afrique de l’Ouest Analyse des mouvements et risques rencontrés par les enfants et les jeunes Rapport de recherche MMC (June 2025): https://mixedmigration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/369_ FR_Final_Lives-in-transit-YOUTH-Migration-routes-in-WestAfrica-REPORT30Jun.pdf

• Project teams of the EJM project.

Tunisia

• EJM project, internal document, Capitalization mission (2024).

• EJM project, internal document, Gender and diversity analysis (2023).

• EJM project, Regional advocacy strategy (2024).

• KAPCYM mapping.

• Mixed Migration Centre, Educational realities and needs of migrant children and youth in West and North Africa. A quantitative analysis (2023).

• OCMT, Mapping of violations suffered by people on the move in Tunisia (2024).

• Project teams of the EJM project.

• Save the children, Tipping points to turning points : How can programmes and policies better respond to the risks of child trafficking and exploitation on the central mediterranea n route? (2022).

Endnotes

1 Accordingly, “North, East, and West Africa” is used to refer exclusively to these eight countries.

2 For information about the KAPCYM Unit, see the box at the end of the document.

3 The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, Inter-agency Child Protection Case Management Guidelines (2024): https://alliancecpha.org/sites/default/files/technical/ attachments/Inter-agency%20Child%20Protection%20Case %20Management%20Guidelines_2nd%20Edition_2024.pdf

4 Best Interests Determination (BID) is a formal process with strict procedural safeguards designed to determine the child’s best interests when taking particularly important decisions affecting the child. Best Interests Procedure (BIP) refers to the key steps of child protection case management BID process. UNHCR, UNHCR Best Interests Procedure Guidelines (2021): www.refworld.org/policy/opguidance/unhcr/2021/en/122648

5 The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action, Inter-agency Child Protection Case Management Guidelines (2024): https://alliancecpha.org/sites/default/files/technical/ attachments/Inter-agency%20Child%20Protection%20Case %20Management%20Guidelines_2nd%20Edition_2024.pdf

6 For guidance on child protection and cross-border case management, see UNICEF and UNHCR, Programmatic Guidance on Cross-Border Case Management (December 2025): https://knowledge.unicef.org/child-protection/resource/ programmatic-guidance-cross-border-case-management

7 SSI Suisse, Procédures et standards de prise en charge de la CEDEAO pour la protection et la réintégration des enfants vulnérables concernés par la mobilité et des jeunes migrants (2016): https://www.ssi-suisse.org/fr/procedures-et-standardsde-prise-en-charge-de-la-cedeao-pour-la-protection-et-lareintegration-des

8 UNHCR, How to Use proGres v4 for Case Management (2023): www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tPxJxES0Ks

9 CPIMS (no date): www.cpims.org/

10 UNICEF, Procédures opérationnelles standards pour la prise en charge des enfants en situation de migration au Maroc (April 2023): www.unicef.org/morocco/media/3571/file/Rapport %20 SOP %20.pdf

11 Save the Children Sweden and Save the Children International, Cross-Border Protection of Children on the Move in East and Southern Africa: A quick reference guide for bilateral coordination (2019): https://resourcecentre.savethechildren. net/document/cross-border-protection-children-move-eastand-southern-africa-quick-reference-guide

The Knowledge and Policy Dialogue on Protection of Children & Youth on the Move (KAPCYM) Unit supports the two projects “Enfants et Jeunes sur les Routes Migratoires d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Nord” (EJM, implemented by a consortium led by Helvetas) and “East African Migration Routes” (EAMR, implemented by Save the Children), which are financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The Unit has the mandate of enhancing Switzerland’s positioning on migration and child protection, to foster or contribute to a community of practice, regional synergies and exchanges of evidence-based lessons learnt and good practices; and hence contributing to a more strategic approach to Swiss partners' policy advocacy messages and approaches.

Operating independently of operational responsibilities, and complementary to the activities of the two regional migration projects, the KAPCYM Unit’s objectives focus on (1) knowledge building; (2) the dissemination of good practices / learning; and (3) providing support and recommendations for advocacy through selected messages to be used by Swiss representations, federal offices and project partners, in their respective external engagement efforts.

The KAPCYM Unit warmly thanks all contributors, especially the national focal points of the EJM and EAMR Projects, for their valuable collaboration in compiling the good practices presented in this brief.