Social Issues

Record 40,000 children crossed Darien jungle in first half of 2023

United Nations, Sept 7 (EFE).- In the first half of this year, a record 40,000 migrant children, alone or with their families, crossed the Darién jungle between Colombia and Panama, and at least half were under the age of five, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a report released Thursday.

UNICEF’s report, “The Changing Face of Emigration in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Region Like No Other,” was presented in New York by regional director Gary Conille.

According to Conille, figures provided by the United States also show an increase in child migration, with 129,000 arrivals in 2021, 155,000 in 2022, and 83,000 in the first seven months of 2023.

Most of the migrating children come from Venezuela, Haiti, and Central America, and in all cases, the age of the children is getting younger.

At the checkpoints between Colombia and Panama, Chile and Peru, and Mexico and Guatemala, 69 and 91 percent of children on the move are under 11.

The report highlights that migration from country to country exposes children to numerous dangers and traumatic situations on their way to the United States.

Children are at high risk of labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, and trafficking – especially when separated from their mothers. They also lose months of schooling and medical care.

The risks are not theoretical: in 2022 alone, 92 children died or went missing somewhere along the migration route. These figures do not include those who fell ill or suffered malnutrition or other harm.

Their odyssey continues when they reach their destination – usually the United States – because they find themselves in an environment where they do not speak the language and have no ties to cling to beyond their immediate family.

Conille, who could not say how many of the children are traveling without their families, insisted that the problem must be addressed with regional approaches while also recommending that countries create “safe passages” for children.

Child migration is a global phenomenon. However, in the rest of the world, children make up 13% of people on the move, while in Latin America and the Caribbean, the figure is twice as high (26%) due to a combination of causes such as climate change, street violence or political instability. EFE

fjo/mcd/ar

Related Articles

Back to top button