A/HRC/33/53 where adolescents migrate to avoid violence and for economic reasons. For Bolivian and Ecuadorian children, however, the main motivation for migrating is economic. Cases of children and adolescents migrating as a result of natural disasters have also been reported, mainly in respect of Haiti. 13. As the difference in living standards and wages between countries of destination and of origin continues to grow, children are attracted to nations with higher standards of living and better job opportunities than they are able to find in their own countries. In regard to the migration flows to North America, for example, children have the perception that migrating northward is the best way of improving personal status and quality of life, given the gap between North and Central America5 in terms of human development. 14. Many respondents to the questionnaire indicated that children view irregular migration as a “necessary risk” and perceive the authorities as an obstacle to reaching their destination; only in very few cases are they associated with the obligation to protect children’s rights.6 15. Extreme poverty has historically been one of the main reasons why children have left their homes, including in Central America. In Guatemala, 41.7 per cent of children suffer from chronic malnutrition; that percentage is even higher in regions with large indigenous populations. According to interviews conducted by the Social Welfare Department and the Attorney General’s Office of Guatemala with 10,166 unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents in 2015, 67 per cent travelled in search of work, 23 per cent to reunite with their family, 2 per cent in search of better opportunities and 0.4 per cent without knowing the reason (population aged 0-5 years). Only 0.1 per cent mentioned direct violence as the reason for moving. 16. In El Salvador, the returnees care centre attended to 4,114 migrant children and adolescents between June 2014 and July 2015, of whom 45 per cent were unaccompanied. When asked about the reasons for migrating, 36.1 per cent of the children said they wanted to join their family, 31.7 per cent mentioned better living conditions and 27.48 per cent said they moved because of threats.7 Violence has become a growing factor in migration in Central America. In Honduras, it has been reported that parents decide to send children abroad to prevent them from being recruited by gang members.8 17. It is also difficult for asylum seekers to meet the strict criteria for family reunification through the regular channels. In Europe, adults often have to meet minimum income requirements before they can sponsor their children’s migration in the context of family reunification (low-income migrant workers are excluded), which sometimes has a particularly discriminatory effect on migrant women. Despite the existence of common European Union legislation on family reunification, in some European Union member States there continue to be restrictions based on the age of the child and the family members who are able to sponsor the child. Furthermore, some migrant workers are unable to apply for official family reunification, as they are not legal residents in the country of destination. This leads to many children migrating unaccompanied or separated in order to join parents or other family members in countries of destination.9 18. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 2.2 million people, including 1.5 million children (55 per cent of the total), have been displaced 5 6 7 8 9 Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías. Aldeas Infantiles SOS Nicaragua. Returnee care centre. National human rights commission of Honduras. Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants. 5