Press Release: Statement by the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town on Children on the Move Conference Focusing on Identity Rights and Protection Gaps

Cape Town, South Africa – Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town to Host “Children on the Move” Conference Focusing on Identity Rights and Protection Gaps

The Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, in partnership with the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa(CoRMSA), Jesuit Refugee Service Uganda(JRS Uganda), Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa(SIHMA), and the Catholic Centre for Legal Aid Services, will host the Children on the Move Conference in Cape Town on 27 and 28 May 2026.

The conference is funded through the Migration Mobility Dialogue(MMD) Grant Facility and contracted by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development(ICMPD), an international organisation working across multiple regions to promote humane and sustainable migration policies and protection systems.

Bringing together civil society organisations, researchers, legal practitioners, migration experts, and child protection stakeholders from South Africa and Uganda, the conference aims to strengthen protection responses for children on the move through dialogue, shared learning, and collaboration.

The conference will focus on critical issues affecting migrant and displaced children, including identity rights, birth registration, statelessness, and care arrangements for unaccompanied and separated children. Discussions will be informed by comparative research conducted in both South Africa and Uganda, highlighting both the challenges and best practices emerging from the two contexts.

Children on the move remain among the most vulnerable populations globally, often facing barriers to documentation, education, healthcare, and legal protection. The conference seeks to create a platform for evidence-based engagement and practical recommendations that can improve systems of protection and inclusion for migrant and displaced children across the region.

Ahead of the conference, it is important to note that Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town emphasises the importance of collaborative regional approaches to child protection: Protecting children on the move requires coordinated responses that place dignity, rights, and access to protection at the centre. This conference creates an opportunity for organisations and stakeholders to learn from one another and strengthen collective responses for vulnerable children.

ENDS