UNICEF says Latin America faces a major child migration crisis

UNICEF says Latin America faces a major child migration crisis. One in four migrants in this region are kids.

Globally, kids make up only 15% of migrants. The main causes are poverty, violence, and environmental issues.

Most kids below 11 travel through three dangerous routes. These paths include the harsh Darien Jungle between Colombia and Panama.

They also include parts of northern Central America and Mexico. Many kids go alone, crossing multiple borders for a better life or to find their families.

Laurent Duvillier of UNICEF states that many factors influence this crisis. These range from poverty and COVID-19 impacts to gang violence and climate-related disasters.

Kids on their own face big risks. Risks include falling victim to human trafficking and abuse.

In the first half of 2023, over 40,000 minors went through the Darien Jungle alone.

During this period, U.S. border officials counted 83,000 young migrants, marking an increase.

People from more than 70 countries have crossed the Darien Jungle. Many come from Africa and Asia.

The number of migrants is rising again this year, mostly aiming for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Last year, 870,000 migrants settled in other countries within the region. This group includes people from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Reports suggest more than two million left El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras from 2014 to 2022.

Numbers

In 2022, 541,000 people from these countries reached the U.S. southern border. Among them, 140,000 were minors, and 114,585 traveled alone.

Another 808,000 Mexicans tried entering the U.S. last year, with 40,000 minors among them and 28,000 going solo.

The U.S. and Mexico sent back over 197,000 migrants to Central America in 2022. The returnees included nearly 36,000 minors and more than 41,000 women.

In 2022, Mexican authorities sent 9,192 minors back home. Most were alone, and the majority hailed from Honduras or Guatemala.

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