Thousands of child migrants dead in decade of Mediterranean crossings: Unicef

UN, April 15, (V7N) –Some 3,500 migrant children have died or gone missing in the past decade trying to cross the Mediterranean for Italy, Unicef estimated on Tuesday, comparable to one child per day.

In its estimate, the United Nations agency for children cautioned that the true number of dead or disappeared children was "likely much higher."
The central Mediterranean migration route, from North Africa to Italy, is the world's most dangerous, with nearly 22,000 dead or missing migrants recorded since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.
About one in every six migrants on that route is a child, with the majority travelling alone, Unicef said.
"Past data has shown that eight in 10 children and young people travelling along the Central Mediterranean Route experience exploitation, including violence, abuse, sexual exploitation, forced labour, child marriage and captivity," the agency said in its report.

Unicef recalled a shipwreck on April 18, 2015 that killed more than 1,000 people after it capsized with hundreds of people in the hold.
That shipwreck "should have been a moment in which all countries and communities with the power to do so came together to protect children in countries of origin, transit and upon arrival..." said the agency.

"Instead, over the decade since, countless shipwrecks have killed thousands of children."
Italy's hard-right government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed to cut irregular migration.
It has agreements with Tunisia and Libya -- from which the majority of migrants depart for Italy -- in which it provides funding in exchange for help stemming departures.

According to Italy's interior ministry, 11,805 migrants have arrived on the country's shores since the start of the year through April 14, including 1,588 non-accompanied minors.
In 2024, 8,043 non-accompanied minors arrived, down from 18,820 the year before.

Unicef said that many children affected by migration are still denied "their most fundamental rights."

Among other recommendations, the agency called for the end of the detention of children who are migrating or seeking refugee status and said that keeping families intact after arrival was the best way to protect minors.