 *For full document, please contact procurement@plan-international.org
Background Information on Plan International
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.
Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face.
We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.
For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.
We won’t stop until we are all equal.
Read more about Plan International’s Global Strategy: Girls Standing Strong at https://plan-international.org/strategy
Plan International (Plan) and UNHCR have an ongoing global collaboration. In 2026, Plan will conduct a study to identify risks, data needs, capacities, and opportunities for the protection of children in mixed and onward movements along three mixed migration routes (Northern Central America route, Mediterranean/Atlantic routes, Southeast Asia route) as part of its ongoing ‘Children on the Move’ signature humanitarian initiative. The findings of the study will inform Plan and UNHCR priorities towards strengthening inclusive child protection systems, programming, and advocacy for mixed and onward movements along targeted routes.
- Background on the topic/ issue
Forced displacement, mixed and onward movement of refugees and migrants are on the rise, and children in mixed movements are particularly vulnerable to rights violations and child protection risks along major routes. Drivers of mixed and onward movements are varied and overlapping, ranging from persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations to adverse impacts of climate change, economic shocks, and food insecurity. Mixed movements are dynamic, with policy changes in one country affecting displacement and movement trends around the world. Each mixed movement route is unique, and the child protection risks, needs, and capacities vary both between and within routes and is informed by the national policies of countries along routes as well as children and their communities’ own capacities and status. There is a need to establish a clear understanding of the risks, drivers, trends, capacities, and opportunities for the protection of children in mixed and onward movements, informed by the unique context of each route.
- Research focus
The specific objectives of this study are:
- Understand the push and pull factors influencing children’s movement (persecution, conflict, climate change, poverty, violence, family reunification).
- Document trends, pathways of movement, including conditions of journey, perceptions and expectations, facilitators, and alternatives and identify further data gaps.
- Analyse gender- and age-specific vulnerabilities that children face along the way.
- Examine children’s access to protection procedures, services, solutions, and the stakeholders, their capacity to protect children, provide continuum of care and support solutions, and how these are coordinated.
- Generate Programmatic and Policy Recommendations
- 3. Users of the Research
The findings of the study will support Plan, UNHCR and other child-focused agencies in determining priorities for strengthening inclusive child protection systems, programming, and advocacy for mixed and onward movements. This study will serve as a key resource to scale up the operationalization of UNHCR’s route-based approach and deepen understanding of the drivers of children’s movements, as well as their aspirations, vulnerabilities, needs, gaps, and opportunities along key mixed migration routes.
- Methods for Data Collection and Analysis
This research will combine a desk review with key informant interviews and focus group discussions with key actors supporting children in mixed movements along the selected routes. Plan International will also conduct focus group discussions with children and their families across a number of country offices along the selected routes. The desk review should include peer-reviewed literature and grey literature (including NGO and UN reports, evaluations, situation reports, assessments, policy briefs, and other resources as relevant) on mixed movements and children on the move, with a focus on the selected routes. The desk review should prioritize resources since 2020, while earlier material may be used for comparison. The goal of the desk review is to establish a clear understanding of recent trends, existing knowledge, and potential areas for further exploration through KIIs and FGDs.
- Ethics and Child Protection
Plan International is committed to ensuring that the rights of those participating in data collection or analysis are respected and protected, in accordance with Ethical MERL Framework and our Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy. All applicants should include details in their proposal on how they will ensure ethics and child safeguarding in the data collection process. Specifically, the consultant(s) shall explain how appropriate, safe, non-discriminatory participation of all stakeholders will be ensured and how special attention will be paid to the needs of children and other vulnerable groups. The consultant(s) shall also explain how confidentiality and anonymity of participants will be guaranteed.