Ethical reflections when research includes refugee children - a study of ethics review applications

The global number of refugee children was 43 million in 2025, highlighting the urgent need for research that supports their well-being. Such research must carefully balance children's rights to be protected from harm and to be heard.

This study explores how researchers in Sweden address ethical considerations when planning studies involving refugee children, particularly in the context of abuse and neglect, as presented in applications to the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (ERA).

The data consists of fifteen ethics review applications submitted to ERA between 2019 and 2021 and concerning research about abuse and neglect involving refugee children.

The data was analyzed with reflexive thematic analysis using manual coding with the Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software NVivo to identify how researchers present ethical challenges and justify their studies.

Three main themes were identified: A particularly vulnerable group, Being both a child and a refugee, and Psychological aspects of refugee children participating in research. Researchers emphasize both the risks and potential benefits of participation and give an extensive view of their ethical reasoning when planning research with refugee children.

The emphasis on protection over participation in the applications highlights the importance of dialogue between researchers, ethical committees, and children's rights advocates to ensure that research both protects and empowers the children it seeks to understand.