More than 100,000 refugee and migrant children arrived in Europe last year, and over one-third of them came alone, according to a June 2017 report.
The 33,800 unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) last year came to Europe mainly in one of two ways: across the Central Mediterranean Sea route to Italy and by sea to Greece.
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Once the children land, Greek and Italian authorities work with humanitarian organizations to take charge of the UASC. Despite the increased focus on child migrants and refugees by European governments and humanitarian organizations, the lives of these children are mostly a mystery.
And more have continued to flock to Europe. In the first half of this year, nearly 93,000 migrants and refugees arrived on Italian shores — and 1 in 6 were children. The number of UASC arriving in Italy is also on the rise, with 11,406 newly registered UASC coming to Italy in the first six months of 2017.
As more children flee to Europe, information about the lives of UASC becomes more critical to European governments and NGOs trying to respond to the influx of refugee children.
So, from December 2016 to May 2017, humanitarian organization REACH, in partnership with UNICEF, conducted a study to learn why these children left home and made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean by themselves.
Their assessment discovered that most of the UASC come from conflict-ridden countries and areas experiencing poverty, stretching from Middle Eastern countries like Iraq and Syria to countries in West Africa. For many, their journey has not ended in Italy and Greece. They hope to travel elsewhere in Europe to unite with family there.
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The difference between the children arriving in Italy and Greece are stark. About 91% of the migrant children arriving at Greece are accompanied by family and come from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan.
Those arriving in Italy tend to come from countries in West Africa and the Horn of Africa, where countries have been experience famine and malnutrition due to war and drought. They are mostly boys, aged 16-17, and are usually unaccompanied.
All of the UASC that REACH interviewed left home because they did not see a future for themselves there and did not have access to basic human rights. But the legal pathways to obtain documents in Europe, even as asylum seekers, is slow. Unaware of why they have to wait so long for documents, many UASC lose trust in the organizations aiding them and turn to smuggling and other alternative, more dangerous ways of reaching their goals.
Another recent study in Italy found that many UASC drop out of the registration system shortly after signing up because they can’t reach their family elsewhere in Europe.
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Given the struggle to reunite with families, lack of access to documentation and uncertain futures once again in Europe, these isolated children face high risks in the foreign continent.
Responding to the UASC’s urgent need of assistance, Italy adopted a law in April that defines concrete measures to protect these children and guide the actions of the EU in finding homes and documentation for these children.
As humanitarian organizations learn more about the lives of these children, they hope the new information will guide how they respond to UASC arriving on European shores. This could play a role in making sure that those who make the dangerous journey to Europe don’t find themselves in more danger than before once they arrive.