In 2023, more than 35% of people rescued by the Ocean Viking, the SOS Méditerranée boat, are unaccompanied minors. This figure is increasing according to the organization’s deputy director of operations.
“We are seeing more and more rescues of children in the Mediterranean, and a context which is deteriorating quite dramatically”, explains Friday September 29 on franceinfo Carla Melki, deputy director of operations of the SOS Méditerranée organization. According to Unicef, 11,600 unaccompanied minors attempted to travel to Italy between January and September 2023, or 60% more than in the same period last year. These are mainly departures from Tunisia and Libya.
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“In previous years, we had less than 20% of unaccompanied minors; this year, more than 35% of people rescued aboard the Ocean Viking [ndlr : navire de sauvetage de l’organisation SOS Méditerranée] are unaccompanied minors”specifies Carla Melki. “For example, this summer, we had a rescue operation where 80% of the people rescued were children under 18 years old”.
When they get off the boat, these unaccompanied minors are reported to the authorities at the port of arrival. “We have a protection team, in partnership with the International Federation of the Red Cross”to take care of these rescued children and adolescents, explains Carla Melki.
Working in collaboration with the Italian authorities
Faced with “extremely difficult crossing conditions”Carla Melki calls for putting in place “a European rescue operation is what SOS Méditerranée has been asking for for years”. According to her, “it is necessary to have this crisis recognized as a humanitarian crisis, and not just a migration crisis”. “It is important that we have humanitarian coordination put in place in the central Mediterranean, as we can have in any other humanitarian crisis, which is not the case today”.
“Since the changes in migration policy in Italy, our working methodology has changed a little, but at the same time, faced with this significant increase in the number of crossings, collaborative work was set up this summer with the Italian authorities who needed our presence, because they were quite overwhelmed by this number of crossings”she concludes.