The UN reports that a growing number of children reach Europe without a parent or guardian. UN agencies say that among children and young people interviewed who arrived via routes across the Mediterranean and the Balkans, the share travelling alone has increased, and many face violence and exploitation during their journeys.
According to the outlets, in 2025 almost half of interviewed migrants aged 15 to 24 report suffering physical violence, with Libya highlighted as a key location where abuse occurs. Another UN report referenced by the outlets states that while overall child arrivals by land and sea drop year-on-year, unaccompanied arrivals rise as a proportion of the total, reaching about two-thirds.
The reporting also cites scale, with more than 20,000 of 31,100 children reaching Europe last year arriving without a parent or guardian. Across the sources, the core focus is the heightened vulnerability of unaccompanied minors, including the risks of violence and exploitation during travel.
