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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, protection.

Mixed movement flows along the Western Balkan route continue, with the region maintaining its identity as one of the main migratory paths into Europe. Movements along the Western Balkan route reached a peak in 2015, with almost one million crossings. From 2016, the numbers fell steadily for a few years before rising again to a high of just over 144,000 people in 2022. In 2025, Frontex communicated a 78% drop in irregular border crossings from the Balkans (a total of 21,520) – but NGOs on the ground point out that, rather than avoiding this route, people affected by migration and displacement are choosing different and more dangerous paths through the Balkans in an attempt to stay off the radar and avoid the increased border controls⁵. As a result, the figures may underestimate the actual number of crossings.

Unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) make up an estimated 3–4% of those crossing the region, with the vast majority being male aged 15-17. UNHCR reported that 2,073 people were present in the Western Balkans as of the end of June 2025, including 110 unaccompanied and separated children (UASC). Of these children, 74 were present in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Children who migrate alone or separated from a family member face exacerbated risks during travel, transit and at destination, including risk of trafficking in persons, exploitation, and gender-based violence. Specific risks are also linked to the reasons why children have migrated as well as the conditions they face en route and at destination. These challenges are further compounded when national legislation, national monitoring systems, or policies are not inclusive of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking children. 

While States as duty bearers have the primary responsibility of protecting the rights of all children on their territory, refugee and asylum-seeking children continue to fall outside child protection systems and are exposed to protection-related risks. This is particularly true for children with specific needs, including UASC. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the inclusion of refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking children in the social and child protection system needs to be strengthened, including improvements to the legal and policy framework.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this consultancy is to support UNICEF in Bosnia and Herzegovina in developing a legal study on the protection of unaccompanied and separated children in the country. The study will provide a comprehensive analysis of relevant laws and procedures concerning unaccompanied and separated migrant children; identify challenges, gaps and good practices; and develop a set of recommendations for promoting progress and legal advancement towards an advanced protective environment for children on the move.

This work will be carried out within the framework of the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office Business Model Initiative on Migration – an initiative established to strengthen institutional engagement, advocacy, and programming for child-sensitive migration and asylum, particularly in countries transitioning from middle to high income status and within the context of the EU Pact implementation.  

How can you make a difference? 

The primary purpose of the Legal Study is to develop an overview of the legal framework applicable to unaccompanied and separated refugees and migrant children, identifying legal issues and gaps in their protection. In particular, the study should focus on:  

• Access to asylum procedures and immediate protection under international and national law.
• Caregiving and custodial arrangements, including access to the national child protection and alternative care systems.
• Guardianship.
• Age assessment protocols.
• Implementation of Best Interest Assessment and Determination procedures throughout the child’s integration path, including the procedures to identify comprehensive, secure, sustainable, and durable solutions.

In doing so, the study will provide: 

1. A comprehensive analysis of relevant laws and procedures concerning unaccompanied and separated migrant children, in order to clarify how laws and procedures should best be applied in practice to protect and care for children.
2. An identification of challenges, gaps and good practices relevant to the identified laws and procedures.
3. The development of recommendations for advancing the legal framework to ensure a comprehensive protective environment for children on the move.

To this end, the legal consultants will:

• Conduct preliminary desk research identifying key national legal and policy provisions on the protection of unaccompanied and separated children (UASCs); and relevant international and EU standards (including the CRC and other relevant international conventions, EU directives and standards, guidelines from international organisations and other actors) to be used as a benchmark for the legal gap analysis.
• Draft a legal analysis on applicable national laws on the protection of UASCs, and a brief comparative study with the identified legal benchmarks.
• Conduct a round of consultations with selected key informants and stakeholders to fill the gaps in terms of information available and to acquire the main points of view of the different actors.
• Deliver a final report clarifying how national laws and procedures should best be applied in practice to protect and care for children, outlining existing gaps and challenges, and providing a set of recommendations for Bosnia and Herzegovina to inform possible law and policy reforms.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• Master's degree in law with proven expertise in migration, social and family law.
• Minimum 5 years of proven experience in legal drafting and policy development, particularly in the areas of child protection, asylum, and migration.
• Extensive experience working with national and international legal frameworks related to child rights, social protection, and/or alternative care reforms.
• Sound knowledge of Bosnia and Herzegovina legal framework relevant for the protection of unaccompanied and separated children.
• Proven experience to work effectively with government stakeholders, civil society organizations, and international partners to develop legal reforms and policy frameworks.
• Fluency in English and Bosnian.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

 Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.