Authorities lose track of thousands of unaccompanied child refugees each year. Often they are safe, but experts say alarmingly little is known about their situations, and the government must do more to protect them.
A total of 780 human trafficking victims were reported in Tunisia in 2018, up from the 742 registered the previous year, the National commission for the fight against human trafficking (INLCTP) has said. The majority of cases were 'domestic slavery' and 'forced labor.'
Calls for mandatory X-ray age tests on unaccompanied minor refugees were rejected last year by German doctors. As an alternative, the Health Ministry is now launching a €1-million study into ultrasound testing.
A raid by Italian authorities has dismantled a criminal organization that trafficked migrants, including children, from Italy to northern Europe. The traffickers even offered 'discount rates' for children, including 700 euros for three children.
A large number of the unaccompanied children who were refused sanctuary by Britain’s Home Office after the Calais migrant camp shut down have 'disappeared' after making their way to the UK illegally. Campaigners fear that most have fallen victim to traffickers and so-called debt bondage.
A recent study by the International Organisation for Migration in Greece showed that access to regular education has helped social inclusion for migrant and refugee children.
The Bari town council has launched an initiative entitled 'Famiglie Senza Confini' to use economic incentives to persuade families to take in unaccompanied foreign minors and 18-year-olds.
German authorities do not know the whereabouts of some 900 refugees under the age of 14. The head of a German children's charity said the new figures were alarming.
In 2017, a total of 9,084 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in Germany. That's around 75 percent less than the year before. Most applications were filed by refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Eritrea.
For the past two years, volunteers from the Midis du Mie association have been meeting with minors who have been denied access to the child protection system because they can’t prove that they are underage. The volunteers try every day to best meet the needs of this particularly vulnerable population - from handing out meals to helping with administrative issues and accommodation.
The United Kingdom recently announced a new form of protection for minor migrants who were brought to the country following the evacuation of the Calais "Jungle" migrant camp in France in 2016. However, activists are calling the measure unjust.
Two young migrants have died after raids against irregular migrants in northern Morocco, according to a Spanish NGO. One of the migrants was only 16 years old.