Health of minors, women and families with a migratory background

On the occasion of World Refugee Day, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the National Institute for the promotion of the health of migrant populations and the fight against diseases of poverty (INMP) signed a memorandum of understanding For strengthen the health protection of minors, women and families with a migratory background.

The agreement between Unicef and INMP aims to:

• train social and healthcare workers - including cultural mediators - on the issues of migration, violence - including gender violence - poverty and social exclusion, connected to childhood and adolescence;
• promote collaboration on research and investigations to promote awareness of phenomena related to migration, with particular attention to the dynamics of gender violence, poverty, social exclusion and mental health;
• promote acorrect health education sensitive to the dynamics linked to age, gender and cultural contexts of origin, including through the development of materials suitable for adolescents and young migrants and refugees – including issues related to sexual and reproductive health;

Refugee and migrant children and adolescents and their families are often at increased health risks and face a variety of barriers to accessing quality healthcare. Many also experience severe emotional difficulties due to the trauma of travel and, many times, abuse and exploitation, including sexual and gender-based violence. The global COVID-19 pandemic has also further exacerbated these challenges.

It is necessary "ensure that their right to health is guaranteed - said Anna Riatti, UNICEF coordinator - also giving them access to quality information and services to face their journey in the safest way possible. The question becomes even more relevant if we consider the effects that the pandemic has on mental health and on the risk of gender violence".

The agreement therefore has as its objective "fair access to health by people highly at risk of social exclusion, with possible serious consequences on their health but also with a negative impact on the entire society - as explained by the INMP general director, Concetta Mirisola - When it comes to young people, in particular, the consequences are perpetuated over time, with incalculable economic but also, and above all, social costs., and this is not acceptable."

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