Unaccompanied children: care and protection in wars, natural disasters, and refugee movements

From the Spanish Civil War to the boat people of Vietnam, children in our century have been tragically separated from their families in emergencies. This interdisciplinary study of these "unaccompanied children" summarizes the kinds of separations, their causes, and the responses of national, international, and voluntary organizations. Drawing on historical, psychological, and legal perspectives, this work recounts nine 20th-century crises, reviews the powerful psychological effects of family separations, describes present legal protections for these children in comparative and international law, and presents a comprehensive set of recommendations for the international treatment of this enduring problem.