The United Nation’s migration office has raised alarm about children dying during migration at heart shattering rates. The report comes in the back drop of viral photos of a Central American migrant – father, daughter duo who drowned in the Rio Grande, a failed attempt to get into the US.
According to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, ‘Fatal Journeys’, nearly 1,600 children under the age of 18, of the 32,000 migrants were reported dead of missing from 2014 to 2018. Statistics show an average of one child dead or missing every day and as young as 6 months.
Frank Laczko, director of IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre said they have once again been reminded that ‘children are among the most vulnerable groups’ of migrants.
Researchers revealed that the Mediterranean is the most fatal migration route in the world, whereby over 17,900 people have died between 2014 and 2018. The IOM report said it is the most deadliest place for children, with recorded 678 deaths. “About 337 children died while migrating in Africa, although figures in that region are even harder to come by. The highest number of deaths – 144 occurred in North Africa, presumably on their way to Europe.”