Infants in refugee and asylum-seeker families

Forced migration has become a major world problem, with increasing armed conflict between and within nations leading to vast numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, 2007) identified 32.9 million people as 'of concern' at the end of 2006. Roughly half of the refugee population is female, although the proportions vary greatly depending on the refugee situation, region of asylum and age distribution. Information on the age breakdown is incomplete but suggests that 45% of refugees are children under the age of 18; 11% of them being under the age of five (UNHCR, 2007).