Children in Need

A new UNICEF report says more than seven million children are on the move in West and Central Africa because of violence, poverty and climate change.

Lack of economic opportunities, wars and climate change have forced over 12 million people in West and Central Africa to migrate, UNICEF said. The United Nations children's agency says children account for over half of all migrants in the region.

Most of the children seek refuge in other African nations, and only one in five attempt the perilous journey to Europe.

"Children in West and Central Africa are moving in greater numbers than ever before, many in search of safety or a better life," said UNICEF regional director Marie-Pierre Poirier."Yet the majority of these children are moving within Africa, not to Europe or elsewhere. We must broaden the discussion on migration to encompass the vulnerabilities of all children on the move and expand systems to protect them, in all their intended destinations," she said.

Globally, 65.6 million people are uprooted and nearly half of them are children, according to the UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR.