Accra:More than 4,500 children have tragically died over the past decade while attempting to migrate through perilous routes in search of safety and better opportunities.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the actual number of child deaths could be significantly higher due to many incidents going unrecorded. The 'Missing Migrants Project' by IOM documented at least 4,414 child deaths or disappearances since 2014 across various global migration paths.
The report highlights that hundreds of children succumb yearly to harsh sea conditions, extreme desert climates, and the brutality of human traffickers. The Mediterranean Sea is cited as the most dangerous route, where over half of the recorded child deaths occurred due to drowning. A significant number of these children were from Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
In a joint statement, IOM and UNICEF expressed deep concern over the inability to identify the age or identity of many deceased children. They emphasized that thousands of child deaths remain undocumented. The IOM Director General urged international leaders to create safe migration pathways to prevent such tragedies.
The report also detailed the routes with the highest fatalities, noting that the Mediterranean route alone accounted for over 2,000 child deaths. At the US-Mexico border, at least 850 children died due to drowning and extreme weather conditions. Furthermore, the Sahara Desert and the Horn of Africa posed significant risks, with many children dying from dehydration and starvation.
An analysis revealed that over 100 of the deceased children were under five years old, and the mortality rate was higher among male children. However, in more than half of the cases, neither age nor gender could be determined.
Shipwrecks, extreme weather, and trafficker violence were identified as primary causes of death. The IOM and UNICEF called for stronger rescue operations and legal actions against trafficking syndicates. The report also pointed out that reliable age data was available for only 18% of the child deaths, underscoring the need for better data sharing among countries.