“The Mediterranean has become a huge cemetery”

While the EU states continue to argue about asylum reform, the United Nations reports that 186,000 migrants have come to Europe via the Mediterranean this year alone. This corresponds to an increase of around 83 percent compared to the same period last year. However: More than 2,500 people did not make the dangerous crossing and died – including an increasing number of children. The number of child deaths has tripled, said the UN children’s fund UNICEF.

“The Mediterranean has become a huge graveyard for children and their future”complains Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Special Coordinator for Aid to Refugees and Those Seeking Protection in Europe.

More and more unaccompanied children are making their way across the Mediterranean to Europe. Their number rose by 60 percent this year. According to UNICEF, 11,600 children came to Italy this year alone. Last year there were 7,200. Children are often housed in particularly dangerous conditions in overcrowded inflatable boats or shabby fishing boats, and some in the holds of ships and in iron barges, UNICEF complains. “The lack of regional, coordinated and adequate rescue capacity and the lack of cooperation in disembarkation at sea exacerbate the dangers children face during the journey.”

According to the UN organization, war, conflict, violence and poverty are the main reasons why children have to flee their home countries alone. Unaccompanied children are exposed to the risk of exploitation and abuse at every stage of their journey, with girls and children from sub-Saharan Africa being the most likely to become victims of abuse.

According to UN figures, most migrants (more than 100,000) are fleeing from Tunisia, followed by Libya with more than 45,000. In addition to Italy, Greece and Spain, boats are also increasingly heading for Cyprus and Malta.

The EU is struggling to find a solution

Time is running out in the EU to complete the long overdue asylum reform. It should be completed by the EU elections in June next year. On Thursday it initially looked like a breakthrough, as Germany had given up its blockade against the crisis regulation. This instrument is intended to support an EU state if it suddenly has to deal with a large number of refugees.

However, a Europe-wide agreement is still a long time coming. Austria wants to abstain from the vote, Poland and Hungary want to vote against, and Italy now wants to renegotiate the technical details.

French President Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met yesterday in Malta to discuss further details.

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