Young migrants face abuse on way to Europe — UN

BRUSSELS: More than threequarters of children and young adults trying to migrate to Europe via the Mediterranean are victims of abuse on the dangerous journey, UN agencies said in a report published yesterday.

Children’s rights agency Unicef and the International Organisation for Migration said young migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa were particularly at risk from abuse, likely due to racism.

The UN agencies surveyed 22,000 migrants and refugees including 11,000 children and young people.

“The stark reality is that it is now standard practice that children moving through the Mediterranean are abused, trafficked, beaten and discriminated against,” Afshan Khan, Unicef Europe regional director, said in a statement.

The report said 77 percent of children and young people trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe had suffered direct experiences of abuse, exploitation and practices which may amount to human trafficking.