Children migrate through Latin America in unprecedented numbers

A record number of children are making dangerous journeys through Latin America and the Caribbean, often unaccompanied by an adult, and come from countries on continents as far away as Asia and Africa, the agency reported. UNICEF Thursday.

In the last three years, the proportion of children traveling along the main migration routes in Latin America and the Caribbean has risen to a record level of 25%, compared to 19% in 2019, the agency said.

At a global level, minors make up 13% of people who migrate, and the figures in Latin America and the Caribbean are only comparable with those of sub-Saharan Africa, where children represent up to 25% of the migrant population, UNICEF added. .

“The factors responsible for child migration are multiple and complex, encompassing aspects such as rampant gang violence, the effects of climate change, worsening inequalities and poverty, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.”said Garry Conille, director of UNICEF for Latin America and the Caribbean, at a press conference.

He added that children are migrating at younger ages in the region, with UNICEF noting that children under 11 now represent up to 91% of young people at some of the main transit points.

In one of the most dangerous migratory routes through the Darien jungle, between Colombia and Panama, UNICEF indicated that at least 29,000 children made the dangerous journey in 2021, nearly 40,000 in 2022 and more than 60,000 in the first eight months. of the current year. Half of them were under 5 years old.

So 2023 already holds the record for the highest number of child crossings, the agency said.

When children travel through several countries, Conille said, “Illness and injury, family separation and abuse can plague their journey, and even if they manage to reach their destination, their future may still be at risk.”

According to the UNICEF report, the number of refugee and migrant children detained at the southern border of the United States has also been increasing.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded the crossing of more than 149,000 minors during fiscal year 2021, more than 155,000 in 2022, and more than 83,000 in the first eight months of fiscal year 2023, UNICEF reported.

“The situation faced by children who migrate through Latin America and the caribbean “is unparalleled in its complexity and magnitude, requiring immediate attention and decisive action,” pConille added.

In alliance with governments and civil society organizations, UNICEF provides assistance and support to migrant, refugee and displaced minors in more than 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, he noted.

UNICEF said it has requested $160.5 million to meet the needs of refugee and migrant children in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay, but had received less as of August. of 20%, that is, about 32.5 million.

The agency has also requested 142.3 million for migrant children and families making the migratory journey through Central America and Mexico this year, but has only received 26%.

Source: AP