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Deadly escape: 3,500 children disappeared in the Mediterranean!
UNICEF warns: Since 2015, over 3,500 children have died crossing the Mediterranean. Topics: rights, protection, migration.
Deadly escape: 3,500 children disappeared in the Mediterranean!
At least 20,803 people have died or disappeared in the central Mediterranean in the past decade, increasingly highlighting the danger for migrants traveling to Europe in search of safety. Loud crown UNICEF estimates that around 3,500 children lost their lives or went missing trying to reach Italy across the Mediterranean during this period alone. This equates to an average of one dead or missing child per day. These shocking figures are supported by Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, who makes an urgent appeal to the international community to protect the rights and well-being of children.
The causes of these migration movements are often devastating. Many children are fleeing conflict, extreme poverty and persecution. UNICEF reported that around seven in 10 children travel without parents or legal guardians. An undocumented proportion of boating accidents, many of which leave no survivor, makes it clear that the actual number of deaths could be much higher. More than half of the children and young people surveyed said they had experienced physical violence and a third reported being held against their will.
Current incidents in the Mediterranean
This year, more than 93,600 migrants have already made the dangerous sea journey to Italy. Many of them put themselves at risk of needing help in unseaworthy boats. A report speaks of a dramatic increase in the number of migrants losing their lives on this dangerous route, and last weekend's horrific watersports disaster, in which up to 170 people died, including children and a pregnant woman, shows the problem remains acute.
The situation of children on the run
The fate of children on migration routes is particularly worrying. In 2023, an estimated 400 children and young people were brought across the Mediterranean to Greece, Italy and Spain in the first two weeks, an average of 29 children per day, as UNICEF held on. Despite these numbers, there are reports of children stranded on commercial vessels such as the Sea Watch 3 without access to medical care or basic services.
UNICEF is calling on European governments to ensure that people rescued at sea can quickly reach land. The organization also emphasizes the importance of ensuring the rights of children and young people in reception centers. These rights must be maintained regardless of the circumstances in order to do justice to the traumatic experiences of flight. Particular attention should be paid to access to protection, health, psychosocial support and legal procedures.
The call for the social integration of refugee and migrant children is more urgent than ever, not least because 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF insists that children in distress should be the top priority in attempts to find their safety.