Agencies – Details Press
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that approximately 3,500 children and adolescents drowned or went missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea with their families to Italy over the past decade.
UNICEF indicated that this “equals the death of one child every day over the course of ten years,” explaining that seven out of ten children undertake this dangerous journey unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
The organization confirmed that these journeys are often tragic, as more than half of the minors reported being subjected to physical violence, while a third of them were subjected to forced detention, according to their testimonies.
UNICEF noted that many children attempting to cross the Mediterranean are fleeing wars and conflicts. Violence and poverty drive them to forced migration in search of safety or better life opportunities.
It also noted that at least 20,803 people died or went missing in the central Mediterranean over the past decade.
