Migrant children 'continue to drown on EU's watch', Save the Children
In a new report, Save the Children says little has changed for more than 200,000 unaccompanied children who have sought asylum in Europe over the past five years. They "continue to drown on the EU's watch," the NGO said. Five years after the harrowing death of refugee boy Alan Kurdi, a new report from global organization Save the Children highlights the plight and vulnerability of migrant and refugee children trying to seek asylum in Europe. In the 35-page report published on Wednesday (September 2), Save the Children accuses the European Union of having failed to address the needs of migrant and refugee children. According to the report titled "Protection beyond reach", an average of 10,000 children were stranded on the Greek Aegean islands since August 2019. Thousands were left to their own fate because Europe wasn't willing to take care of the children, the NGO said.
Save The Children, in an article under the title, Over 200,000 Lone Child Migrants Left To Uncertain Fates In Europe, highlights "uncertain fates" for children in that region.
Five years since the tragic death of Alan Kurdi, Save the Children is warning that Europe has failed to address the needs of migrant and refugee children. Source: Save the Children
Some 210,000 unaccompanied children sought asylum in Europe over the past five years, fleeing conflict, persecution or violence, a new report by Save the Children said today. 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.
“It is five years to the day since Alan Kurdi lost his life just off the Turkish coast, becoming a tragic symbol of the ‘refugee crisis’. European leaders were among the first to say: ‘Never again’, but ever since, they have only made routes more difficult and dangerous for refugees and migrants”,
said Anita Bay Bundegaard, Director of Save the Children Europe.
“The way Europe has treated the most vulnerable children in their hour of need is unacceptable. On any given day since August 2019, an average of 10,000 children were stranded on the Greek islands, 60% of them are under 12 years old. While some efforts were made to relocate children out of Greece, thousands have been abandoned due to the unwillingness of some European countries to take in and care for some of the most vulnerable children in the world. Children continue to die on the EU’s doorstep while European leaders look the other way”,
Bay Bundegaard continued
Ahmed, a 15-year old boy who fled Syria and is now in Belgrade, Serbia, said:
“When we try to cross the borders we get beaten by the police, badly. They are often very rude. I think they want us to feel afraid to try again. I haven’t seen my family for a long time now, I left to go to Europe because there was nothing for me in Syria, or Lebanon, or Turkey."