Challenges to the Education Rights of Children on the Move in Latin America - A Scoping Review

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dawugda

Research on education in emergencies highlights structural obstacles refugee children face when accessing schooling in low- and middle-income countries. A significant gap remains in understanding the challenges faced by transnational migrant children and how these evolve under changing migration dynamics. A scoping review of 144 Spanish, Portuguese, and English articles across Latin America shows that shifting patterns trigger new barriers to education rights, including assimilation, discrimination, physical segregation, and ongoing marginalization within schools.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and gap

Scoping review methods

Key findings on education rights

Implications for policy implementation

| education policy analysis archives
A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal | | | --- | --- | | Arizona State University | | | Volume 33 Number 48 August 19, 2025 ISSN 1068-2341 | | Challenges to the Education Rights of Children on the Move in Latin America: A Scoping Review Claudia Diaz-Rios Tatiana Feitosa de Britto Gisele Cuglievan-Mindreau Sana Abuleil & Indira Quintasi-Orosco Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto Canada Citation: Diaz-Rios, C., Feitosa de Britto, T., Cuglievan-Mindreau, G., Abuleil, S., & QuintasiOrosco, I. (2025) . Challenges to the education rights of children on the move in Latin America: Ascoping review. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 33(48) . [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.33.8711](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.33.8711) Abstract: Research on education in emergencies underscores the significant structural obstacles refugee children encounter in accessing education within low-and middle-income countries. However, there remains a notable gap in understanding the challenges confronted by transnational migrant children and the evolving nature of these challenges amidst shifting migration dynamics. To address this gap, we conducted a scoping literature review of 144 articles written in Spanish, Portuguese, and English examining transnational migration and education in Latin America, a region undergoing profound shifts in immigration patterns. Our analysis reveals that changes in these patterns activate new challenges for education rights. As migrants gradually relocated to other Latin American countries, their children encountered barriers to education compounded by instances of assimilation and discrimination within schools. With migration waves intensifying, discrimination evolves, influenced by governance structures fostering diversity but enabling physical segregation and ongoing marginalization of migrant children. These findings anticipate challenges in implementing current policy recommendations for integrating refugees and other groups of children on the move into the regular education systems of Global South countries. Keywords: migration; refugee education; education in emergencies; education rights; Latin America Desafíos a los derechos educativos de los niños en movimiento en América Latina: Una revisión de alcance Resumen: La investigación sobre la educación en emergencias subraya los significativos obstáculos estructurales que los niños refugiados encuentran para acceder a la educación en los países de ingresos bajos y medianos. Sin embargo, sigue habiendo una brecha notable en la comprensión de los retos a los que se enfrentan los niños migrantes transnacionales y de suevolución en contextos con una dinámica migratoria cambiante. Para cerrar esta brecha, llevamos a cabo una revisión bibliográfica de alcance, englobando 144 artículos escritos en español, portugués e inglés sobre la migración transnacional y la educación en América Latina, una región que viene experimentando cambios profundos en los patrones de inmigración. Nuestro análisis revela que esos cambios activan nuevos retos para los derechos educativos. Amedida que los migrantes se trasladaban gradualmente a otros países latinoamericanos, sus hijosencontraban obstáculos en la educación que involucraban instancias de asimilación y discriminación en las escuelas. Con la intensificación de olas migratorias, la discriminación ha evolucionado, influenciada por estructuras de gobernanza que fomentan la diversidad , pero permiten la segregación física y la marginalización continuada de los niños migrantes. Estas conclusiones anticipan retos en la implementación de las actuales recomendaciones de políticaspara integrar a los refugiados y otros grupos de niños en movimiento en los sistemas educativos regulares de los países del Sur Global. Palabras-clave: migración; educación para refugiados; educación en situaciones de emergencia; derechos educat

FAQs

What does the research focus on regarding children’s education rights?

It examines the structural obstacles to education faced by refugee and transnational migrant children, especially how these challenges evolve with shifting migration dynamics.

How was the scoping review conducted?

The review analyzed 144 articles written in Spanish, Portuguese, and English about transnational migration and education in Latin America.

What challenges were identified as migration patterns change?

As migration waves intensify and patterns shift, children encounter barriers linked to assimilation and discrimination in schools, including governance-driven physical segregation and continued marginalization.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dawugda