A total of 289 children died trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe in the first six months of this year, the UN announced on Friday.
This figure is twice as high as in the first six months of 2022, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said, calling for the creation of safe humanitarian corridors enabling children to find refuge in Europe.
“The number of children who have lost their lives while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe has doubled in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year,” said UNICEF migration and displacement officer Verena Knaus. “These deaths are absolutely preventable.”
UNICEF estimates that in the first six months of this year, 11,600 children made the crossing, she said, noting that this was also a 100% increase on the corresponding period of last year.
In the first three months of this year, 3,300 children making the crossing – 71% of the total for the quarter – were unaccompanied or had been separated from their families, according to UNICEF. This figure is three times higher than in the same period last year.
“World leaders must act urgently,” Ms. Knaus stressed.
Members of the European Parliament called on Thursday called for the development of a “reliable and permanent search and rescue strategy” for migrants in the Mediterranean, following a mid-June shipwreck off the Greek coast that may have killed more than 600 persons.
