Abstract

International child migration is one of the most important humanitarian and legal challenges of the contemporary international system, as refugee and migrant children face multidimensional vulnerabilities due to conflict, instability, economic pressures, and forced displacement. Although the international legal system has established broad standards for the protection of children, the practical implementation of these rights is not uniform at the national level. The purpose of this study is to analyze the international legal framework for the rights of refugee and migrant children and assess their national implementation, to clarify the gap between international law and national practice. This study was conducted through a legal-analytical and thematic analysis, in which international conventions, theoretical literature, and examples of national implementation, particularly the case of Afghanistan, were evaluated. The findings demonstrate that international law unequivocally affirms the rights to life, education, identity, protection, and asylum; however, the level of practical implementation depends on factors such as political will, security policies, administrative capacity, economic resources, and citizenship policies. In addition, anti-migrant social attitudes have a direct impact on the effectiveness of legal protection. The study concludes that the problem lies not in the absence of legal standards, but in structural limitations in implementation. Therefore, effective protection of the rights of refugee children requires practical coordination between international standards and national policies.