How many children have drowned while crossing the Mediterranean to Europe?

illegal immigration

How many children have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while crossing to Europe over the past 10 years?

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced that approximately 3,500 children and adolescents have drowned or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea with their families to Italy over the past decade.

UNICEF noted that this amounts to "the death of one child every day over the past ten years," explaining that seven out of ten children make this dangerous journey unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

The organization emphasized that these journeys are often tragic, with more than half of the minors reporting physical violence, while a third have been subjected to forced detention, according to their testimonies.

UNICEF noted that many children attempting to cross the Mediterranean are fleeing war, conflict, violence, and poverty, which drive them to forced migration in search of safety or better life opportunities. It also noted that at least 20,803 people have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean over the past decade.