A report published by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on September 7 warns of a new historical record in the crossings of minors through the dangerous natural border between Panama and Colombia. Half of the children who have crossed one of the most dangerous passes on the planet this 2023 were less than 5 years old.
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“Gang violence, instability, poverty and weather-related events are gripping the region at an alarming rate, driving more boys and girls from their homes,” said Garry Conille, director of UNICEF for Latin America and the Caribbean, during the presentation Of the report In New York.
‘The changing face of emigration in Latin America and the Caribbean: a region like no other’, as the text is titled, estimates that in the first seven months of 2023 more than 40,000 children have crossed through the Darién jungle. This is the same amount that crossed in all of 2022, the year where the highest levels had been recorded historically.
On the other hand, UNICEF shows data shared by the United States Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP), which indicates that, until July of this year, more than 83,000 children would have passed through the US borders irregularly.
Today more than ever there are more boys and girls in transit through Latin America and the Caribbean.
This is how governments can support them. 👇https://t.co/heXBjjCXLq
— UNICEF in Spanish (@unicefenespanol) September 7, 2023
The increase in border crossings in the United States “are reflected in other smaller migratory flows throughout the region, as the increase in violence, instability and weather-related disasters cause more displacement and forced migration,” according to recounts the report.
Latin America, a hostile region for children
The text published by UNICEF also makes a stark contrast between the migratory flows in Latin America and the rest of the world, showing that, while the world average of children within the “migrant population” is 13%, in Latin America the figure rises to 25%; a level that can only be matched by the situation in Africa, which has the same percentage.
According to the report, Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador are the main countries where child migration originates. In addition, it states that the main objective of displaced minors continues to be to reach the United States.
The text also indicates that the minors who cross “are getting smaller”, stating that the incidence of children under 11 years of age already represents up to 91% of the total number of children who leave their countries looking for a better future.
My favorite part was leaving the jungle because it’s a nightmare in there, says an eight-year-old girl who had to cross through the Darien jungle and whose testimony was included in the body of the report.
The risks of the Darién Gap, together with other border crossings in the region, materialize with the number of children who died or disappeared halfway: 91 registered minors, although the real number could be much higher.
UNICEF has asked the countries that are part of the United Nations to grant a fund of 160.5 million dollars in favor of “meeting the humanitarian needs of refugee and migrant children and adolescents” within Latin America, in addition to the creation of “safe corridors” for the transit of minors. So far, he would only have received less than 20% of what was requested.
with EFE
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