A/64/213 of children from detention and deportation, and migration laws should include concrete regulations to respect children’s rights and needs in such circumstances. In particular, laws should include such child rights principles as detention as a last resort; priority and alternative measures to detention; and prohibition of the deportation of unaccompanied children as a punishment for irregular migration status. 30. Incorporating a child rights perspective in migration laws, policies and programmes, together with a rights-based approach, will ensure both that the particular needs and rights of children are expressly included (the principle of “childhood integral protection” should be fully incorporated in migration law and policies) and that all human rights are recognized for all migrant children, irrespective of age, sex, nationality or migration status. 31. The second general gap concerns public policies aimed at children. In many countries, policies meant for the protection of the rights of the child (most of them based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child) have not yet taken into account the specific conditions and needs of migrant children (in the United Kingdom, civil society has highlighted the Government slogan “Every child matters” in order to advocate for the inclusion of child migrants in public policies on childhood). This gap is evident in policies concerning, inter alia, education (such as access, dropping out and language barriers), health care, birth registration, adolescent professional training and commercial sexual exploitation. 32. The Special Rapporteur deems it important to highlight a number of issues related to the protection of children in the context of migration, particularly in relation to the situation of children left behind by migrant parents, children on the move and children in host countries. He also deems it important to highlight some of the good practices that have been brought to his attention and a number of major challenges that remain to be overcome in protecting the human rights of migrants. 2. The situation of children left behind 33. The Special Rapporteur has observed that migration affects children raised in their home countries or their countries of habitual residence who have been left behind by the adult migrants responsible for them, such as one or both parents, extended family members, legal guardians or caregivers. Children in this category, commonly referred to as “children left behind”, are often neglected in laws, programmes and policies dealing with children in general and migration in particular. 34. The Special Rapporteur recognizes that many factors may play a role in assessing how migration affects the rights of children left behind. Some studies document that children left behind might be at greater risk for psychosocial trauma, violent behaviour, drug abuse and teenage pregnancy, and suggest that parental absence creates additional challenges, including family instability, a greater burden on the household and social stigmatization. 35. Furthermore, social policies in countries of origin or residence — for example, the kind of social support available for the protection of children — and the specific living situation of the child in his or her country of origin or residence are key factors in determining the impact of migration on children left behind. Furthermore, many parents and other family members initially migrate without children, but 10 09-43777