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Highlights

During the first half of 2017, close to 93,000 refugees and migrants arrived on European shores mainly through the Central Mediterranean Route - around half of them arrived in just May and June 2017. While barely one in six of sea arrivals this year are children, the number of unaccompanied or separated children (UASC) coming to Italy is on the rise with 11,406 newly registered UASC between January and June 2017.

During the first half of 2017, UNICEF helped identify and support a total of 9,190 children at risk through outreach activities in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; supported structured non-formal education for 4,256 children in Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and strengthened the capacity of 2,674 frontline workers on child protection across Europe.

The situation in Europe is characterized by a spike in perilous, often fatal, sea crossings through the Central Mediterranean, continuous irregular movements in the Balkans and across Europe, as well as tightened border control and heated political debate on migration across the continent. Confronted with uncertain future, isolation, insufficient access to services and slow family reunification, relocation and asylum procedures, refugee and migrant children remain at high risk and require urgent action by national and European stakeholders to step up action for their protection.

Situation in Numbers

92,794 # of arrivals in Europe through Italy and in JanuaryJune 2017 (UNHCR, 7 July 2017)

1 in 6 Of all arrivals in January-June 2017 are children (UNHCR, 7 July 2017)

69,200 # of child asylum-seekers in Europe between January and May 2017 (Eurostat, 7 July 2017)

22,663 # of estimated stranded children in Greece, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia in June, 2017 (UNICEF, 7 July 2017)

7,379 # of children relocated from Greece and Italy under the EU relocation scheme by mid-June 2017- 6,737 from Greece and 642 from Italy. (IOM, Italian MoI, 23 June 2017)

UNICEF Appeal 2017 US$ 43,452,000

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

During the first half of 2017, a total of 92,794 refugees and migrants arrived on European shores mainly through the Central Mediterranean Route1 - over half of them were registered in just May and June 2017. While just one in six of all sea arrivals in 2017 are children, compared to over one in three during the same period last year2 , the number of unaccompanied or separated children (UASC) arriving in Italy remain significantly high with 11,406 newly registered UASC between January and June 2017 (compared to 10,640 in the first six months of last year). An estimated 300 children are feared to have drowned in the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2017- a trend, which is on the rise with the spike in perilous sea crossings from Libya to Italy since May. Moreover, the multiplying reports of violence, abuse and exploitation, experienced or witnessed by children in Libya, suggest their high vulnerability and require urgent action for their protection.

The number of children stranded in Greece and the Balkans continue to decrease. As of June 2017 total number is estimated to be 22,663 of children (down from 25,602 two months ago). While this may be partly due to relocation and family reunification from Greece, there is constant irregular movements throughout the Balkans. The situation remains challenging in Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria, where 40 per cent of all stranded refugees and migrants are children. Despite officially closed borders, Serbia is facing constant new arrivals, mainly from Bulgaria, coupled with reported increasing push-backs and returns from Hungary and Croatia. Confronted with uncertain future, isolation, insufficient access to services and slow and bureaucratic family reunification, relocation and asylum processes, many young people decide to resort to smugglers to continue their journey within Europe. During May and June, UNICEF observed an increase of newly registered refugee and migrant UASC along the Balkans route. Similarly, in Italy, a recent study found that the majority of Eritrean UASC arriving through the Central Mediterranean route drop out of the system shortly after registration as they want to reach family and friends elsewhere in Europe and do not have sufficient access to services and information on legal pathways and asylum procedures. According to the Italian Special Commissioner for Missing People, the number of unaccompanied children absconding from reception centres reached 28,000 children just last year- a trend that is continuing throughout the first half of 2017.

Detention of children for migration control purposes remains another issue of serious concern. In Greece, despite efforts to identify alternatives to detention with the creation of safe spaces for UASC in accommodation sites, the number of UASC in closed facilities almost doubled in just one month (reaching the total number of 94 children in those facilities), which is a reflection of significant increase in arrivals in June. In Bulgaria, both accompanied and unaccompanied children continue to be detained upon interception, and on average spend 13 days in closed facilities before being able to claim asylum. In Italy, according to a recent report, unaccompanied children (boys and girls) may stay in Lampedusa hotspot for over one month. A positive development in the hotspot is the presence of INMP3 that applies a multidisciplinary approach for the age assessment.

Despite the heated political debate on migration, 2017 has seen the adoption of a new law in Italy (n.47, 7 April 2017) considered one of the most progressive pieces of legislation on unaccompanied refugee and migrant children, and the EU Communication on the Protection of Children in Migration. Both documents define concrete measures and steps to improve the protection of refugee and migrant children in Europe, and help guide actions at European, national and local level. Other positive developments include a recent decision by the UK government to expand the Syrian Vulnerable People Resettlement Scheme, ongoing efforts by French authorities to improve the reception and protection of refugee and migrant children and actions to address bottlenecks related to the relocation of UASC from Italy and Greece.

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UNICEF Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe: Regional ... - ReliefWeb