According to UNICEF, at least 289 children have lost their lives at sea during the first half of 2023 while attempting to reach Europe. This figure is almost double the number recorded during the same period in 2022. The children embarked on dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean Sea, driven by conflict and the impacts of climate change.
Verena Knaus, the UNICEF’s global lead on migration and displacement, stated that the actual number of child deaths is likely higher due to unrecorded or non-surviving shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean. An estimated 11,600 children made the crossing in the first six months of 2023, nearly double the number from the same period in the previous year.
During a news briefing in Geneva, Knaus highlighted that in the first three months of 2023, 3,300 children, accounting for 71 percent of all children arriving in Europe via the central route, were recorded as unaccompanied or separated. This number is three times higher than the figure for the same period in 2022. Knaus emphasized that girls traveling alone are particularly vulnerable to violence before, during, and after their journeys.
UNICEF revealed that the eventual boat journey from Libya or Tunisia to Europe typically costs around $7,000. The agency denounced these “preventable deaths” and emphasized the urgent need for expanded safe, legal, and accessible pathways for children seeking protection in Europe.
UNICEF criticized governments for ignoring or remaining silent while almost 300 children, equivalent to “an entire plane full of children,” perished in the waters between Europe and Africa in just six months. Along their journey, children face detention, deprivation, torture, trafficking, violence, exploitation, and rape.
Verena Knaus called on world leaders to take immediate action to protect the lives of these vulnerable children, moving beyond condolences and actively pursuing effective solutions.
