There are probably more dead and missing because the number of passengers on migrant ships is usually unknown and ships also disappear unnoticed.
of the UN According to data collected by Unicef, almost 300 children have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean this year, reports AFP.
Published by Unicef on Friday the report according to at least 289 children have died or disappeared while trying to come to Europe via the central Mediterranean route, i.e. in practice from the countries of North Africa towards Italy.
According to the statistics of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, a total of 1,827 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean this year.
There are twice as many dead and missing children this year compared to last year. Unicef insists on expanding safe, legal and accessible routes to Europe.
As a whole the numbers may be higher because there have been several shipwrecks in the Mediterranean with no survivors, says UNICEF’s head of migration and refugee affairs to AFP Verena Knaus. In addition, some shipwrecks may have gone unnoticed.
According to Knaus, Europeans vacationing in the Mediterranean seem to be completely unaware of the tragedies happening in the same waters.
“This is a completely true, shocking reality, but we seem to be quite at peace with the fact that children die every day,” Knaus tells AFP.
Earlier this month it was reported that towing efforts by the Greek authorities may have caused the sinking of the migrant ship in June. Around 500 people are suspected to be missing after the disastrous shipwreck that happened on the coast of Greece. Many of them are believed to be children who had taken shelter in the ship’s hold.
of Unicef According to The largest number of migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean arrive in Italy, almost 70,000 people this year.
Most of the children set sail from Libya and Tunisia after first making the dangerous journey from other African countries or the Middle East.
More than two-thirds of the children who arrived came alone without a guardian or had lost their parents during the journey. Children traveling alone are at greater risk of encountering violence, abuse and ill-treatment, Unicef states.
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