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Mediterranean crossings: Urgent action required to protect children
Recent weeks have seen an unprecedented surge in number of refugees and migrants, including families with children, attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Africa and the Middle East to make their way into Europe.
These dangerous crossings, operated by organised gangs of human traffickers, have led to the tragic loss of nearly 2,000 lives so far this year, many of them children.
Child rights organisation Plan International is extremely concerned about the safety and wellbeing of refugee and migrant children who are making these dangerous crossings, some of them unaccompanied. Children are dying and more will die unless world leaders take action, now.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates the 2015 death toll now is more than 30 times last year’s total at this date (21 April) when just 56 deaths of migrants were reported in the Mediterranean. Last year, the death toll reached 3,279 and the IOM now fears that that number may be surpassed this year in a matter of weeks.
Children taking these journeys are at great risk of abuse, harm and even death. They are at the mercy of others, including illegal traffickers. Those unaccompanied face an even higher risk.
Children face the worst repercussions of illegal trafficking as the risk of harm they are exposed to is highest given their age and vulnerabilities. Children can experience extreme challenges through displacement with severe impact on their health, education and overall wellbeing.
All international efforts directed at addressing the situation in the Mediterranean must prioritise children’s safety and wellbeing as paramount. This situation must be tackled before it becomes a humanitarian crisis. Regardless of their status as migrants or refugees, all children must be cared for and all their rights protected. Children going through such traumatising experience need emotional support.
With the onset of warmer weather in Europe there are fears that the number of migrants attempting to arrive is likely to rise.
The staggering human cost of illegal human trafficking is too high to ignore. Plan urges world leaders to take urgent, collective and decisive action on tackling the situation, particularly focused on addressing the issues that are fuelling this drive. It is imperative that root causes of refugee situations, forced migration and displacement – ranging from poverty to violence and conflict, are resolved through concerted joint efforts involving all parties and guided by the best interests of children and international humanitarian and human rights standards.
About Plan:
Founded in 1937, Plan is one of the world’s oldest and largest children's development organisations. Plan works in 51 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas to promote child rights and lift millions of children out of poverty. Plan is independent, with no religious, political or governmental affiliations. www.plan-international.org
