The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged global leaders to prioritize the safety and well-being of migrant children following recent Mediterranean tragedies. The latest shipwrecks off eastern Tunisia claimed the lives of at least 27 people, including women and children, highlighting the dangers faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe.
Among the survivors of a New Year’s Eve shipwreck near Lampedusa, Italy, was an eight-year-old girl whose mother remains missing. In another heartbreaking incident last month, an 11-year-old girl was found adrift near Lampedusa, believed to be the sole survivor of a vessel that departed from Sfax, Tunisia, with around 45 passengers.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that 2,275 individuals went missing in the Mediterranean in 2024, adding to a grim total of 31,180 missing migrants since 2014. Most of these tragedies occurred along the central Mediterranean route, a dangerous pathway often used by smugglers ferrying migrants from Libya and Tunisia toward Italy.
UNICEF has called on governments to fulfill their legal obligations under international refugee law, emphasizing the need to safeguard children. The agency’s recommendations include:
- Establishing safe, legal pathways for protection and family reunification.
- Enhancing search and rescue operations and ensuring safe disembarkation.
- Providing community-based reception and access to asylum services.
- Increasing investment in essential services such as health care, education, legal aid, and psychosocial support for children and families arriving via dangerous routes.
The agency’s plea comes as nations like Italy implement stricter measures to curb migration. Under Premier Giorgia Meloni, Italy has intensified crackdowns on smuggling networks and introduced policies aimed at processing asylum claims outside its borders, such as in Albania.
Despite these efforts, the plight of unaccompanied minors remains a pressing concern. In 2023, Italy received over 2,200 asylum applications from unaccompanied minors, while Greece handled more than 2,600, and Spain processed just 30. These figures represent a significant decline from the peak of over 88,000 applications across the European Union in 2015.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Caminando Fronteras reported that 10,000 migrants perished last year attempting to reach Spanish shores by sea, showing the scale of the humanitarian crisis.
UNICEF’s urgent call serves as a reminder of the need for coordinated global action to protect vulnerable children and families navigating perilous migration routes.