Countries worried over increasing number of refugee children

World Today

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The number of children refugees in on the rise. And that’s cause for concern. UNICEF estimates that nearly 50 million children have left or fled their homes. And many of those children are making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.

CCTV’s Dan Williams reports from Sicily.Follow Dan Williams on Twitter @Danielclearcut

It has become a common sight in Sicily hundreds of refugees and migrants taking a first step into Europe after being rescued in the Mediterranean. But charities warn that a larger proportion of them are unaccompanied minors.

Some of them end up here in the ancient city of Sicily at the House of Cultures, a center dedicated to children and vulnerable migrants.

The center not only accommodates the minors, it also promotes integration with the community.

This initiative in Sicily provides a place of safety for those that most need it. But the danger for minors is not yet over. Each year in Italy, thousands of minors simply disappear.

Some move on to seek reunification with family and friends. For others, the suffering continues.

“We should really give all unaccompanied minors all the necessary tools and accurate information so that they don’t run away. They would then avoid the risk of ending up in the hands of traffickers,” Giovanna Scifo from Mediterranean Hope said.

Despite the suffering and trauma, most of the minors here simply want to be given the chance to build a life in Europe.