Unicef report: refugee and migrant children face abuse, exploitation and trafficking

Up to three quarters of children and youth face abuse, exploitation and trafficking on Mediterranean migration routes as they try to reach Europe, according to a new UNICEF and IOM report.

The report draws on the testimonies of some 22,000 migrants and refugees, including some 11,000 children and youth, interviewed by IOM. Read the report here.

Fast facts: Trafficking and exploitation
1. Adolescents and youth on the move are more vulnerable than adults;
2. Adolescents and youth from sub-Saharan Africa are at particularly high risk;
3. Adolescents and youth travelling alone are more vulnerable than those in groups;
4. Adolescents with lower levels of education are more vulnerable.

Around the world, nearly 50 million children are living outside their country of birth or are displaced within their own country, at least 28 million of them driven from their homes by war and conflict.

UNICEF continues to call on governments to adopt its six-point agenda for action to protect migrant and refugee children and ensure their well-being.