Mapping Children on the Move within Africa a permanent feature of people’s movement across the region. In the past, migration was generally seasonal with adult males migrating up north to seek employment in farms for instance. In recent years, and with the decline in economic activity in sectors where seasonal migrations worked, children have replaced adults as migrants. Some of them travel, unaccompanied or with mainly mothers, to earn a living and to send money back to their families.248 This is particularly relevant for children from rural areas. For many who are faced with “a generalized social immobility and the lack of future perspective, migration has progressively imposed itself as the best strategy to drastically turn around in a fast and radical manner a destiny that seems inevitable. [Migration] is often described as a shortcut, a relatively accessible [means] to secure a better social and professional future”249. Furthermore, for migrants from West Africa, the local “culture of migration also shapes the perception of children as much as adults regarding the whys and wherefores of migration”.250 In West Africa, migration is also a major livelihood strategy for poor persons. Although generally ‘internal migration, between and within urban and rural areas, continues to account for most migratory movements in West Africa,’ in some states like, Burkina Faso, internal migration is outweighed by international migration.’ In West Africa, many people as well as entire families move from ‘hostile areas characterised by drought and low productivity in search of richer lands to farm or a remunerated job in town.’ This is in partly to escape poverty. 3.2.3.2 Climate change and food insecurity Climate change and food insecurity is also a key driver of movement of children and people generally. Although Africa and most of the developing world have done less to contribute to climate change than their more advanced and developed economies, people in these regions are likely to be more adversely affected by climate change.251 According to Oxfam, ‘while climate change affects all of us, the risks of displacement are significantly higher in lower-income countries and among people living in poverty.’252 Between 2008 and 2016, persons in low-and lower-middle income states were about five times more likely than persons in high-income states to be displaced by ‘sudden-onset extreme weather disasters’.253 In such situations women, children, indigenous people and vulnerable groups are disproportionally affected.254 While African countries have insignificant carbon footprints, their populations bear the brunt of floods, drought and displacement.255 Environmental changes such as desertification and deforestation when combined with disasters like droughts and famine may precipitate migration.256 This may lead to drought and conflicts due to scarcity of resources which is a major cause of movement of both adults and children. For instance, in the Horn of Africa, climate change has aggravated the impact of drought which coupled with conflicts, poverty and vulnerability has caused the displacement of about 3.7 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya and 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 Altai Consulting. 2015. Irregular migration between West Africa, North Africa and the Mediterranean. P21 Diop, M. 2013. Migration des Enfants non-accompagnes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest vers l’Afrique du Nord: Etat des lieux. Study conducted for UNICEF. P22 https://prod.emnbelgium.be/sites/default/files/ publications/migration_des_enfants_non_accompagnes_de_lafrique_de_louest_vers_lafrique_du_nord.pdf Last accessed: 3 June 2018 Diop, M. 2013. Idem. P22 UNICEF (n 166 above) p5. OXFAM, Uprooted By Climate Change: Responding to the Growing Risk 0f Displacement (2017) p 5. As above. As above. U Grote & K Warner, Environmental Change and Forced Migration in C Fischer and R Vollmer (eds.), Migration and Displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Security-Migration Nexus II, Bonn International Center for Conversion (2009). As above. 53