CHILDREN ON THE MOVE IN ITALY AND GREECE ITALY / GREECE CRHILDRENEPORT ON THE MOVE IN ITALY AND GJUNEREECE 2017 ITALY / GREECE IPTALYRELIMINARY / GREECE R EPORT APRIL 2016 PRELIMINARY REPORT ITALY / GREECE APRIL 2016 IPTALYRELIMINARY / GREECE R EPORT Children on the Move in Italy and Greece – June 2017 Cover Photo: © UNICEF/Gilbertson, 2016 About REACH REACH is a joint initiative of two international non-governmental organizations - ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives - and the UN Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT). REACH’s mission is to strengthen evidence- based decision making by aid actors through efficient data collection, management and analysis before, during and after an emergency. By doing so, REACH contributes to ensuring that communities affected by emergencies receive the support they need. All REACH activities are conducted in support to and within the framework of inter- agency aid coordination mechanisms. For more information please visit our website: www.reach-initiative.org. You can contact us directly at:
[email protected] and follow us on Twitter @REACH_info. 1 Children on the Move in Italy and Greece – June 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Context Over 100,000 refugee and migrant children, of whom more than 33,800 unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) (34 per cent), arrived in Europe in 2016.1 In the first three months of 2017, 5,700 children landed on European shores.2 The vast majority of them entered Europe irregularly through the two main gateways to the continent: Italy, using the Central Mediterranean sea route, or Greece, transiting through the Eastern Mediterranean route from Turkey, mostly via sea. Once on European soil, Italian and Greek authorities should take charge of UASC, with the support of humanitarian organisations, local and international NGOs and volunteer groups.