UNICEF: 95,000 unaccompanied refugee and migrant children in Europe need protection
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) highlights that urgent measures are needed to protect unaccompanied refugee and migrant children in Europe, the United Nations Radio informs.
According to the report, these youngsters are at serious risk of abuse, trafficking and exploitation.
UNICEF reported that a record 95,000 unaccompanied refugee and migrant children entered Europe last year. The international police organization, Interpol, estimates that one in nine unaccompanied refugee children is unaccounted for or missing, though the number could be much higher.
UNICEF's appeal comes as European Union member states begin negotiations on new asylum rules.
Children currently wait up to 11 months between registration and transfer to a country that has agreed to accept them. UNICEF said these children "are falling between the tracks."
Many simply run away from reception centers to join their extended families while they wait, the agency said.