Attachments
Introduction and Rationale
Since the attacks on the people living in Northern Rakhine State- Myanmar from late August 2017, the influx of people through the Southeast border of Bangladesh has continued. To date, there are 902,9841 individuals who have arrived in Cox’s Bazar, 55% of which are children. There are 7,5102 children who have been separate from their families comprising of 6,021 Unaccompanied and 1,489 separated children.
In emergency settings, children, especially those that are separated from their primary caregivers, face increased child protection risks. These children require urgent interventions through identification, documentation, tracing and reunification (IDTR) process to promote wellbeing and establish a protective environment with their primary caregivers or parents and prevent potential abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence.
FTR programming provides a platform for children, families, communities and agencies to prevent and respond to separation. Informed by the Inter-Agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC), this document outlines the standard operating procedures to be used by both CP and non-CP actors in their FTR work with other children in need of FTR services in the Response within Bangladesh. Children who are nationals of Bangladesh will be supported using the National guidelines3 . It also provides some criteria for agencies who wish to engage in FTR. Given the unique skillset necessary for quality FTR, it is critical to provide CP actors and all non-CP actors with a guideline to be used as they will be instrumental as a referral agency for FTR services while maintaining the case or as may be necessary.
This is borne out of the need for a harmonized approach towards UASC, missing and other children in need of tracing services and provides guidance to agencies to prevent and respond to family separation.