Many unaccompanied minors are among roughly a thousand people who currently live in unofficial settlements around Calais. A number of NGOs have deplored the chronic lack of accommodation places for these young people, made even more vulnerable by the "zero fixed settlement point" strategy.
The UN children's agency UNICEF says that children have suffered grave rights violations over the past year. The agency called for "concrete measures" to protect children from abuse, including abduction and sexual violence.
UNICEF Italia's spokesperson, Andrea Iacomini, has harshly criticized European countries following reports that a child froze to death in the border region between Belarus and Poland. "We can't just say 'enough' -- now we are waiting for a concrete gesture," he said.
A giant puppet of a young refugee girl is part of "The Walk," an art initiative that traveled 8,000 kilometers in support of refugees. She is now a special guest at the Open Festival in the Netherlands.
The OTB Foundation of designer and entrepreneur Renzo Rosso -- co-founder of the Diesel brand -- and the UN refugee agency have announced a partnership for the construction of a new school in Mozambique. The initiative is part of the "Instant Network Schools" program for the education of refugee children.
A child living in a migrant shelter in Lithuania has died. The 11-year old, which had pre-existing conditions, had crossed the border from Belarus two months ago together with her father.
According to a UNHCR study, underage refugees are missing out on years of schooling beyond the standard elementary level. This results in longterm problems such as poorer job prospects.
Two Afghan refugee children in Poland have died after ingesting poisonous mushrooms. The two children were aged five and six.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), together with humanitarian organization Intersos, has launched a project to enable 35 unaccompanied refugee children currently living in Niger to move to Italy to continue their studies. The first five minors will arrive in Italy in September, UNHCR said on Thursday, August 12.
UNHCR and Teach For All have started a project that offers young refugee graduates the opportunity to work as teachers. It's part of the UNHCR's effort to make sure more refugees get the chance to go to university. Currently, only 3% of young refugees are enrolled in higher education.
The UN has called for action after an increase in people fleeing conflict and persecution despite the COVID pandemic. The number of displaced people has doubled in the last decade.
UNICEF is calling on Italy to reform its citizenship rules. The UN children's agency demands a birthright law (also known as "Jus soli"), which would grant Italian citizenship to children from migrant and refugee families.