A/HRC/43/40 detention facilities are at a higher risk of sale and sexual exploitation. Girls living on the streets are particularly vulnerable and are likely to be arrested for prostitution, exposing them to further risks of sexual abuse. 74. The World Bank estimates that by 2030, countries with a high level of fragility, conflict and violence are expected to be home to 46 per cent of the world’s population living in extreme poverty. 51 This poses a major challenge in terms of protecting the most vulnerable children from falling victim to various forms of exploitation. 4. Vulnerability of children on the move and in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis 75. The vulnerabilities of children to sale, trafficking and other forms of exploitation in situations of conflict and humanitarian crisis were examined in a joint study by the Special Rapporteur with the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children (A/72/164). 76. Children as young as 8 years old are recruited as soldiers and used by armed forces and armed groups for the purposes of forced labour, child marriage, sexual exploitation and sexual enslavement (see A/73/907-S/2019/509, para. 18). Conflict-related sexual violence continues to affect children, with accounts documented in the majority of ongoing conflict settings (S/2019/280, para. 18). While girls are more likely to fall victims to sexual exploitation, there are nonetheless cases of boys being abused. Concerns have been raised about the linkages between migration, trafficking and sexual violence, including sexual enslavement, perpetrated by armed and extremist groups. 52 77. The vulnerability of children to sale and sexual exploitation persists due to the increasingly protracted nature of conflicts, with new conflict dynamics emerging and intensifying. Concerns about widespread disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law, including children’s rights, thus continue to persist, leaving children with extremely limited options to receive justice and reparation. 78. The Special Rapporteur has repeatedly emphasized the impact of migration on children’s vulnerability to sale and trafficking. The situation of children on the move continues to be driven by traditional economic factors, and increasingly by environmental degradation and climate change. Children including refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, internally displaced children and stateless children are also escaping conflict, persecution or natural disasters. 79. It is important to distinguish between the different contexts of children’s migration movements, since they may be entitled to different types of protection mechanisms defined by international law and national legal systems. However, children on the move are first and foremost children. Their migration status is no reason for States to neglect their obligation to protect them from the risks of sale and sexual exploitation. 80. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), children represented 14 per cent of all categories of migrants in 2017. 53 As of 2016, around 1 in 80 of the world’s children was living in forced displacement: an estimated 28 million children, representing roughly half of the entire refugee population. 54 Nearly four out of every five refugees lived in countries neighbouring their countries of origin. 55 81. When children are not supported with realistic options for their future in countries close to their place of origin, most of which are low- and middle-income countries, they are more likely to risk dangerous journeys to countries in the global North. The Special Rapporteur is concerned about the large number of children undertaking such journeys 51 52 53 54 55 World Bank Group, “Fragility, conflict and violence: overview – helping countries navigate a volatile environment”, 10 October 2019. Global Report on Trafficking in Persons – in the Context of Armed Conflict 2018 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.19.IV.2), p. 6. IOM, Global Migration Indicators 2018 (Berlin, 2018), p. 19. UNICEF, A Call to Action: Protecting Children on the Move Starts with Better Data (New York, 2018) https://data.unicef.org/resources/call-action-protecting-children-move-starts-better-data/. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2018 (Geneva, 2019). 13