Who are Unaccompanied and Separated Children?

 Every year, tens of thousands of children cross international borders alone — without a parent, guardian, or trusted adult to protect them. They are fleeing violence, conflict, trafficking, exploitation, and persecution. They are navigating immigration systems designed for adults. And they are doing it by themselves.  These are unaccompanied and separated children. They are kids — some as young as infants — who have made dangerous journeys in search of safety, family, or simply a chance to survive.   

KIND exists because no child should face that journey without protection. Since 2008, we have been the leading organization defending the rights and well-being of unaccompanied and separated children — in the United States and around the world.  

How is the term Unaccompanied and Separated Children Defined? 

Unaccompanied children are referred to by several terms depending on the legal system and country involved — UAC, unaccompanied minors, unaccompanied children, unaccompanied and separated children. Each reflects a different legal framework. KIND uses the term "unaccompanied and separated children" deliberately: it centers the humanity and vulnerability of the child, rather than their immigration status. Below are the key definitions in use today. 

Under U.S. federal law — specifically the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. § 279(g)) — an Unaccompanied Alien Child (UAC) is defined as a child who: has no lawful immigration status in the United States; has not attained 18 years of age; and has no parent or legal guardian in the United States, or whose parent or legal guardian is not available to provide care and physical custody. This definition governs how the federal government identifies, processes, and provides care for children who arrive at the border alone. In practice, children traveling with grandparents, adult siblings, or aunts and uncles may still be classified as unaccompanied under this definition.  

In European immigration law, unaccompanied children  are generally defined as foreign nationals or stateless persons below the age of 18 who arrive on the territory of a state unaccompanied by a responsible adult, and who remain so for as long as they are not effectively taken into the care of such a person. This includes children who are left unaccompanied after they have already entered a country. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child further distinguishes “separated children” — those separated from both parents or their previous primary caregiver, but not necessarily from other relatives. KIND’s work across Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom operates within this European framework, ensuring children receive protection regardless of which definition applies.  

The terminology used to describe these children matters. “Unaccompanied Alien Children” (UAC) is a U.S. government legal designation — the word “alien” carries a dehumanizing connotation that KIND believes is inappropriate when talking about vulnerable young people. “Unaccompanied minors” is more neutral but still centers legal status over personhood. KIND uses “unaccompanied children” because it foregrounds the most important fact: these are children. Whatever their immigration status, country of origin, or legal classification — they are kids who deserve protection, dignity, and the chance to be heard. That principle is the foundation of everything KIND does.  

Key Facts

Children on Move

Every statistic represents a child whose life has been disrupted by conflict, violence, persecution, disaster, or family separation. These figures, current as of the end of 2024, come from UNHCR and UNICEF and underscore why protecting children on the move is more urgent than ever.

48.8 Million
An estimated 48.8 million children had been displaced by conflict and violence worldwide.
19.1 Million
19.1 million refugee and asylum-seekers are children
4.4 Million
4.4 million children were internally displaced by disasters.
39%
Children represent 39% of all refugees and other people in need of international protection under UNHCR's mandate, highlighting the disproportionate impact of forced displacement on children.

Root Causes

Why Children Make the Journey Alone

Armed conflict, political instability, persecution, and widespread community violence force children to flee regions where safety is simply not possible. Children displaced by war or upheaval often make dangerous journeys across borders — sometimes alone — in search of protection. KIND works globally to ensure these children are treated as children first.

Displaced by Violence

Armed conflict, political instability, persecution, and widespread community violence force children to flee regions where safety is simply not possible. Children displaced by war or upheaval often make dangerous journeys across borders — sometimes alone — in search of protection. KIND works globally to ensure these children are treated as children first.

Gang Violence and Forced Recruitment

In many countries, children are directly targeted by criminal gangs for forced recruitment, extortion, and retaliation against themselves or their families if they do not obey the gang. For a child who refuses to join — or whose family refuses to pay extortion fees— fleeing is often the only way to survive. KIND represents thousands of children who left their homes because remaining meant their lives were in grave danger

Labor Exploitation and Trafficking

Some children flee after being trafficked or exploited for labor. Others are lured by false promises of work, only to be trapped in dangerous conditions along the journey or after arrival. Labor exploitation and trafficking can drive a child to leave, threaten them en route, and endanger them even after they arrive without protection. KIND helps these children access legal protection and safe alternatives.

Gender-Based Violence

Many of the unaccompanied and separated children KIND serves have fled gender-based violence in their country of origin — including sexual violence, domestic violence, violence against LGBTQ+ youth, and femicide. As documented in KIND's research, gender-based violence is a pervasive root cause of child migration from Central America. Children also face grave risks of gender-based violence during their journey. KIND works with local partners in Guatemala and Honduras to design and implement gender-based violence prevention programming for children in high-migration areas.

How KIND Supports Unaccompanied and Separated Children

Protecting an unaccompanied and separated child requires more than a single intervention. A child who has fled violence, survived a dangerous journey, and arrived alone in a foreign country carries trauma that touches every part of their life — their sense of safety, their sense of safety, mental health, ability to navigate legal systems, and their future.

KIND’s approach is holistic. We provide legal protection and assistance to ensure every child has skilled representation in immigration court and know their rights. We deliver psychosocial support to help children heal and stabilize. And we advocate at the government level to reform the laws and policies that shape how children are treated.  No single program can do this alone. KIND’s integrated approach  makes lasting protection possible.

legal protection NY photo bw

Legal Protection

No Child Should Face Immigration Court Alone

KIND and our global partners work to provide legal services for unaccompanied and separated children and help to ensure these children know their rights. Our expert staff, along with our extensive network of pro bono and NGO partners and other strategic partnerships, deliver innovative holistic care that includes legal representation and information, education assistance, family reunification, and litigation support.

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Psychosocial Support

Holistic Services Through Trauma-Informed Care

Unaccompanied and separated children have often experienced profound trauma before they ever reach safety — violence, loss, abuse, and the isolating experience of making a dangerous journey alone. That trauma does not disappear when a child arrives. It shapes how they learn, how they relate to others, and how they are able to participate in legal proceedings that will determine their future.  Psychosocial support is how KIND addresses the whole child — not just their immigration case. Through comprehensive programming, KIND connects thousands of children and families to essential mental health care, medical services, access to education, and crisis intervention. By integrating psychosocial support with legal representation, KIND ensures children can heal, stabilize, and advocate for themselves.

Learn more about our psychosocial work
Wendy UN Event

Global Policy & Advocacy

Preserving Vital Protections for Children

Laws and policies determine what happens to unaccompanied and separated children — whether they receive a fair hearing, whether they are detained or cared for, or whether they are returned to danger or given a path to safety. These are not abstract legal questions. They are decisions that shape children’s lives.

Regional bodies like the European Union and international entities such as the United Nations, along with national governments across the globe, have the power to protect unaccompanied children or to put them at greater risk. KIND’s policy and advocacy work engages directly with these institutions: educating policymakers about the realities children face, pushing for child-centered reforms to immigration and protection systems, and building the international consensus needed to make lasting change possible.

KIND’s advocacy is grounded in the lessons learned from representing tens of thousands of unaccompanied children for nearly 20 years. We know what works. And we know what needs to change.

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Children's Voices

Inspiring Stories of Unaccompanied and Separated Children

KIND’s unaccompanied and separated child clients have stories of resilience, hope, bravery, fear, sorrow, and joy just like all of us, but their voices are often not heard, their experience and expertise not shared, and their humanity forgotten. A vital part of KIND’s mission is to ensure that our clients have opportunities to share their stories, their unique perspectives, and their hard-won knowledge with a variety of audiences for public education, advocacy, and their own personal and professional growth and healing.

Read Children's Stories

Our Global Reach

Where KIND Protects Unaccompanied Children

KIND provides legal representation and psychosocial support to unaccompanied and separated children throughout the United States.

United States

KIND and partners throughout Latin America provide reintegration services, family reunification, and gender-based violence prevention for children throughout their journey.

Latin America

KIND and partners across Europe to ensure unaccompanied children have access to pro bono legal assistance and psychosocial support.

Europe