The number of unaccompanied children arriving in Trieste via the Balkan migratory route doubled in 2023, raising concerns about their welfare and highlighting ongoing challenges in Europe's migration crisis. (Shutterstock)
Share
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
ROME — The number of unaccompanied children who arrived in the northern Italian city of Trieste through the Balkan migratory route more than doubled last year, an aid group said Thursday.
About 3,000 unaccompanied children arrived in Trieste, which is close to Italy’s borders with Croatia and Slovenia, in 2023, according to the International Rescue Committee’s annual report. There was a 112% rise compared to the previous year.
The minors represented nearly 20% of all migrants in the city supported by IRC and its partners, which provide them with information on their rights, legal guidance and support in accessing first aid services.
Most Active Migratory Route
The Central Mediterranean remains the most active migratory route into Europe, European Union border agency Frontex says. The route accounts for 41% of irregular crossings, followed by the Western Balkans, the second most active route with 26% of the crossings.
“There has been an alarming increase in the number of children arriving in Trieste via the Balkan route without their families or guardians, exposed to neglect, trauma, and both physical and psychological violence, including pushbacks,” the IRC noted.
The report highlighted that 94% of children traveling alone came from Afghanistan, and 86% of them were heading to other European countries, mainly Germany, France and Switzerland.
The New York-based IRC stressed that the new data confirm a dangerous trend highlighted in a recent international investigation, which revealed that nearly 47 children, on average, have vanished each day after arriving in Europe over the past three years, leaving the whereabouts of 50,000 children unknown.
RELATED TOPICS:
Trump Says He Will Order Voter ID Requirement for Every Vote
16 hours ago
Greta Thunberg Joins Flotilla Heading for Gaza With Aid
16 hours ago
Chicago Mayor Says Police Will Not Aid Federal Troops or Agents
16 hours ago
Post-War Gaza Plan Sees Relocation of Population, ‘Digital Token’ for Palestinian Land: Washington Post
16 hours ago
Labor Day Quiz: Do You Know What a Knocker-Upper Is?
17 hours ago
Judge Blocks Pillar of Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign
2 days ago
Visalia Driver Arrested for DUI After Multiple Crashes and Pedestrian Injured
2 days ago
Fresno County Garnet Fire Grows to 18,748 Acres in Sierra National Forest
16 hours ago
Categories

Fresno County Garnet Fire Grows to 18,748 Acres in Sierra National Forest

Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Netanyahu to Convene Security Cabinet

Trump Says He Will Order Voter ID Requirement for Every Vote

Greta Thunberg Joins Flotilla Heading for Gaza With Aid

Chicago Mayor Says Police Will Not Aid Federal Troops or Agents

Post-War Gaza Plan Sees Relocation of Population, ‘Digital Token’ for Palestinian Land: Washington Post
