Record numbers of children fleeing Latin America, says UN
"Children are now migrating within Latin America and the Caribbean at an unprecedented rate" says Garry Conille, UNICEF's Regional Director for the region. The first half of 2023 saw 40,000 children cross the Darien Gap, a dangerous jungle route taken by migrants travelling from Colombia into Panama. This figure matches the number from the entire year of 2022, which was itself a record, Conille explains.
Transcript
00:00 Children are now migrating within Latin America and the Caribbean at an unprecedented rate,
00:04 constituting a larger share of the migrant population than any other region worldwide.
00:10 And in the first half of 2023 alone, over 40,000 children have crossed the perilous Darien Gap
00:18 on their journey towards Northern America, matching the record number from the entire year of 2022.
00:25 Moreover, the profiles of child migrants is evolving, with children under 11 years of age
00:31 now comprising up to 91% of all children on the move at select key transit point.
00:37 The driving forces behind child migration are numerous and complex,
00:42 encompassing factors such as rampant gang violence, the escalating effects of climate change,
00:48 and exacerbated inequalities and poverty magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
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