At least 700 children were among the more than 4,500 people who lost their lives attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Europe during 2016, according to data from UNICEF.
The UN child-focused organisation said this week that about one in 40 of all people who attempted the crossing in 2016 died, making the route among the world’s most dangerous.
A new report, A Deadly Journey for Children, shows that more than 25,000 children did successfully make the crossing last year – a figure double that of the previous year – but adds that nine out of 10 of those who did were unaccompanied.
The report cites the findings of a survey of migrant women and children in Libya, a hub for migrants coming from other parts of Africa, which found that they are routinely suffering sexual violence, exploitation, abuse and detention along the route from their home countries. It found three quarters of the 40 refugee and migrant children interviewed said they had experienced violence, harassment or aggression at the hands of adults at some point over the course of their journey while nearly half of the 82 women interviewed reported sexual abuse during their journey.
UNICEF is urging governments and the EU to adopt a six point agenda which includes protecting child refugees and migrants from exploitation and violence, ending the detention of children seeking refugee status, keeping families together, providing access to education and health services, pressing for action to address the underlying causes of migration, and promoting measures to combat xenophobia, discrimination and marginalisation in countries of transit and destination.
Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s regional director and special coordinator for the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe, says the Central Mediterranean migration route – from North Africa to Europe – “is among the world’s deadliest and most dangerous migrant routes for children and women”.
“The route is mostly controlled by smugglers, traffickers and other people seeking to prey upon desperate children and women who are simply seeking refuge or a better life. We need safe and legal pathways and safeguards to protect migrating children that keep them safe and keep predators at bay.”
