Most of 200,000 unaccompanied child migrants are Afghans: Report

Over 200,000 unaccompanied children sought asylum in Europe over the past five years, with the highest percentage from Afghanistan. 

In a new report by Save the Children, published on Wednesday and titled Protection Beyond Reach, the organization said that most unaccompanied children in Europe are from Afghanistan, while others are from Syria and some from Africa. 

The report stated that the total number of children arriving is likely to be much higher, with many being forced into an existence in the shadows of Europe, at risk of exploitation and abuse.

In this five-year period, more than 700 children, including babies, lost their lives trying to reach European shores, during perilous journeys by sea.

While some of the children have been offered safety and protection, many struggle to get refugee status, live in constant fear of being deported or detained, and are unable to reunite with family members living elsewhere in Europe’ , the report stated. 

Save the Children said many children are fleeing from countries facing ongoing or protracted crises. “The conflict in Afghanistan – where most unaccompanied children in Europe are from – remains among the deadliest for children, who make up almost a third of all casualties in the country.”

However, many EU countries have stated that Afghanistan is safe for the children to return to. 

The report highlighted the mental health problems these children face and stated that they suffer nightmares and other symptoms of trauma and depression, including self-harm because of their experience in their country of origin and the arduous journey, their permits of stay being under constant review and their fears of being deported.

“While some improvements have been made, these are overshadowed by harsh border policies and measures to prevent vulnerable children from entering Europe altogether. Europe needs to draw lessons from the past. New migration policies should not come at the cost of children’s lives,” said Anita Bay Bundegaard, Director of Save the Children Europe.

According to Save the Children, most of the 200,000 unaccompanied children come from Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea and end up staying in Germany, Greece, Italy and Sweden.

Save the Children has meanwhile called on the EU to ensure the rights of children are at the heart of asylum and migration decisions and for the EU and its leaders to ensure that steps are taken to keep vulnerable children safe. 

“They must ensure that children can immediately access asylum and protection once they arrive in Europe, instead of being pushed back,” the report stated. 

The report pointed out that in Greece particularly, limitations on freedom of movement prevents people from leaving the islands while their asylum claims are being processed. According to Save the Children, since August 2019, on average 10,000 children were stranded on the Greek islands in inhumane conditions. 

Reliefweb meanwhile stated last month that 30,200 refugees and asylum-seekers reside on the Aegean islands. The majority of the population on the Aegean islands are from Afghanistan (48 percent), Syria (19 percent) and DRC (six percent). 

Women account for 22 percent of the population, and children for 32 percent of whom nearly seven out of 10 are younger than 12 years old. 

Approximately 12 percent of the children are unaccompanied or separated from their families and are mainly from Afghanistan

According to the report, discussions in Europe are no longer about the protection of asylum seekers but about the protection of borders and reducing the number of asylum seekers. 

Save the Children said it believes that the best guarantee to keep children safe and protected is a continued investment in strong child protection systems, including as part of asylum and migration laws.