The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) said Friday that in the first six months of this year, approximately 11,600 children are believed to have made the dangerous journey across the Central Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe and nearly 300 have died. Both figures are double those from the same time last year.
In a statement Friday, the United Nations Children's Fund said at least 289 children are estimated to have died or disappeared this year attempting to cross the perilous Central Mediterranean Sea migration route from North Africa to Europe. This equates to nearly eleven children dying or disappearing every week as they search for safety, peace and better opportunities.
The Central Mediterranean Route refers to the sea journey from North Africa, mainly Tunisia and Libya, to Italy. It is the deadliest known migration route in the world, with more than 22,000 deaths and disappearances recorded since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
So far in 2023, an estimated 11,600 children made the dangerous crossing. The majority of children were alone or separated from their parents, putting them at a greater risk of violence, exploitation and abuse. Girls travelling alone are especially likely to experience violence before, during and after their journeys.
Since 2018, UNICEF estimates around 1,500 children have died or gone missing while attempting the Central Mediterranean Sea crossing. According to IOM’s Missing Migrant Project, 8,274 people have died or gone missing on the route in the same period.
Many shipwrecks on the Central Mediterranean Sea crossing leave no survivors or go unrecorded, making the true number of child casualties practically impossible to verify and likely much higher. In recent months, children and babies have been among those who have lost their lives on this route, on other routes across the Mediterranean and on the Atlantic route from West Africa, including the recent tragedies off the coasts of Greece and Spain’s Canary Islands.
“In attempts to find safety, reunite with family, and seek more hopeful futures too many children are boarding boats on the shores of the Mediterranean, only to lose their lives or go missing on the way,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
UNICEF said the deaths are preventable and called for safe, legal and accessible pathways for children to seek protection and reunite with their family members.
“This is a clear sign that more must be done to create safe and legal pathways for children to access asylum, while strengthening efforts to rescue lives at sea. Ultimately, much more must be done to address the root causes that make children risk their lives in the first place”, Russell said.
The United Nations Children's Fund estimates 11,600 children – an average of 428 children a week – arrived on the shores of Italy from North Africa since January 2023. This is a two-fold increase compared to the same period in 2022, despite the grave risks involved for children. The majority of children depart from Libya and Tunisia, having already made dangerous journeys from countries across Africa and the Middle East.
The Central Mediterranean Sea has become one of the most dangerous routes travelled by children. However, the risk of death at sea is just one of many tragedies these children face – from threats or experiences of violence, raids and immigration detention or separation from family. These risks are further compounded by limited pathways for children to move safely, lack of access to protection in countries along the way, and insufficient and slow search and rescue (SAR) operations.
In line with obligations under international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF is calling on governments and the European Union to better protect vulnerable children at sea and in countries of origin, transit and destination.
UNICEF's calls include: protecting the rights and best interests of children in line with obligations under national and international law; providing safe and legal pathways for children to migrate and seek asylum, including expanded family reunification and refugee resettlement quota; strengthening coordination on SAR operations and ensuring prompt disembarkation to places of safety.
Among others, the UN agency also urges those responsible to strengthen national child protection systems to better include and protect children at risk of exploitation and violence, particularly unaccompanied children, and to improve prospects for children and adolescents in countries of origin and transit by addressing conflict and climate risks.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, is the agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. Created in 1946 as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF is today one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to protect children’s rights.
Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration that brings together governments from 174 member states. The UN agency works closely with intergovernmental and non-governmental partners to support migrants across the world, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The organization is also active in emergency situations. IOM is based in Geneva.
Missing Migrants Project is an initiative of the Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) within IOM’s Global Data Institute in Berlin. The aim of the project is to document deaths and disappearances of people in the process of migration towards an international destination, regardless of their legal status.
Further information
Full text: Eleven children die every week attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean Sea migration route – UNICEF , UNICEF press release, published July 14, 2023
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/eleven-children-die-every-week-attempting-cross-central-mediterranean-sea-migration
Website: International Organization for Migration: Missing Migrants Project
https://missingmigrants.iom.int/