All-time record of migrant children fleeing poverty and violence in Latin America

More and more migrant children are moving across Latin America and the Caribbean amid violence and instability. Many of them have the United States as their final destination. According to data published by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), one in four people on the move in Latin America and the Caribbean is a child, the highest figure in the world.

Similarly, UNICEF indicated that there was an incredible increase in children crossing the dangerous Darien jungle. In the first eight months of the year, at least 60,000 children made the journey, half of them under five years of age.

"At least 29,000 children made the perilous Darien crossing in 2021. An estimated 40,000 children made the crossing in 2022 and more than 60,000 children have crossed the Darien jungle in the first eight months of 2023, half of them below the age of 5, making it the year with the most child crossings on record," UNICEF said.

Meanwhile, the number of refugee and migrant children apprehended at the U.S. southern border has also increased. According to UNICEF data, the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded more than 149,000 children crossing in FY 2021 and more than 155,000 in FY 2022. In the first seven months of fiscal year 2023, more than 83,000 children entered the country according to CBP.

"Gang violence, instability and poverty are gripping the region"

The organization explained that the routes of Latin American and Caribbean migrants have changed in recent years. Currently, one of the most used is the well-known Darien jungle. UNICEF stressed that migrant children are vulnerable to disease and abuse during their journey. Similarly, it was learned that the main reasons why children choose to migrate are violence, poverty and instability in their countries.

"Gang violence, instability, poverty and climate-related events are, alarmingly, gripping the region and pushing more children from their homes," said UNICEF Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Garry Conille.

"Their futures often remain at risk"

"More and more children are on the move, of an increasingly young age, often alone and from diverse countries of origin, including from as far away as Africa and Asia. When they cross several countries and sometimes the entire region, disease and injury, family separation and abuse may plague their journeys and, even if they make it to their destination, their futures often remain at risk," Conille added.

In that sense, UNICEF warned that children can also suffer violence, exploitation and abuse during their journey to the country to which they decided to emigrate. The organization said the physical risks along irregular migration routes are innumerable, especially for children. In addition to the dangerous terrain they cross (from jungles and rivers to railways and roads).

Finally, UNICEF asked the countries of the region to establish a common strategy to address the migration crisis. It urges UN Member States to invest in strong national child protection systems to safeguard all children, including migrant and refugee children, from exploitation and violence.