A/HRC/36/51 peer pressure, death of the caregiver (mostly from HIV- and AIDS-related complications), breakdown of traditional family structures, public budgets that do not prioritize child rights, deteriorating education standards, high dropout rates from school and poverty. 14 20. In the case of Senegal, when children agree to talk about the causes which drive them to migrate, they cite mainly economic reasons. Their parents have entrusted them to people who have promised to find them work in neighbouring regions or in other African countries. However, most are subjected to the worst forms of child labour. 15 21. In West and Central Africa, migration is strongly influenced by the region’s rapid population growth. Conflicts in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and Nigeria result in huge numbers of people being displaced, a large proportion of whom are children. Additionally, because of the high demand for a cheap and productive workforce, the informal sector and domestic work are areas where there is a high proportion of child labour working in exploitive conditions. 22. In Bangladesh, as in other Asian countries, there is a tradition of labour migration during the transition from childhood to adulthood. Children are urged to migrate as a rite of passage to adulthood, and often their families force them to leave and migrate in order to earn money for the household. Cultural norms and traditions contribute to children being trapped in poverty and this, in turn, increases their vulnerability to abuse and exploitation. 16 III. Situation of unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents in identified areas 23. Unaccompanied migrant children separated from their families are the most vulnerable group among all migrants; the lack of information about their situation is one of the most important barriers experienced by institutions and States preventing effective protection of their rights. 24. Determining the migrant’s age is the first step which the host State must take when caring for unaccompanied migrant children. Only minors can benefit from the specific protection granted by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The host State should not seek to determine the young migrant’s age by means of medical examinations and interviews unless he or she does not have identity documents to prove his or her age. 17 In practice, a number of national authorities use medical tests combined with interviews to determine the migrant’s age. Once minority is established, all unaccompanied and separated children have the right to be assisted by a legal guardian, to be hosted in a reception centre, and to receive legal assistance if they apply for asylum. Long delays in the appointment of legal guardians constitute a major obstacle to access to child protection mechanisms and family reunification.18 25. In several countries, child protection systems discriminate between children on the basis of their age, leaving older children to be cared for by the immigration authorities, who may be less well qualified or equipped to prevent all forms of violence against children and provide appropriate support for children who have suffered violence and exploitation to promote their full recovery and integration.19 26. Migratory policies based on detention and deportation have failed to discourage irregular migration. Usually, transit migrants travel via less well guarded and riskier areas. An increasing number of families are contacting traffickers in the hope that the entire 14 15 16 17 18 19 6 Information provided by Terre des Hommes, Zimbabwe. Source: Caritas Senegal. Source: Caritas Bangladesh. A/HRC/15/29. Source: information provided by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children to the Advisory Committee, 24 February 2017. Source: information provided by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children to the Advisory Committee, 24 February 2017.