Over 4,500 Child Migrants Die Globally in 10 Years: IOM

More than four and a half thousand children have tragically died over the past decade while attempting to migrate through risky channels in search of a better life and security.

The alarming information was revealed in the latest report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). However, the agency warned that due to missing and unrecorded incidents, the actual number of child deaths could be far higher than this official tally.

According to the report from IOM's 'Missing Migrants Project', at least 4,414 child migrant deaths or disappearances have been recorded across various global migration routes since 2014.

The report noted that hundreds of children lose their lives every year, falling victim to rough sea waves, extreme desert weather, and the cruelty of human traffickers. The Mediterranean Sea has been identified as the most dangerous route. More than half of the recorded child deaths occurred as they drowned in the sea while trying to reach Europe through this route alone. A major portion of the deceased and missing children belonged to Sub-Saharan Africa, war-torn Middle East, and various South Asian nations.

In a joint statement, the IOM and the UN children's agency UNICEF expressed deep concern, stating that in more than half of the cases involving recovered bodies or passengers of sunken boats, the age or exact identity cannot be identified. As a result, thousands of child deaths remain hidden outside the documented data.

The Director General of IOM said, "The lack of legal and safe migration pathways is pushing children into this extreme risk. Every child's death is an urgent warning sign for world leaders."

The organization called upon the international community to take immediate coordinated action to protect children in vulnerable regions and enforce strict legal measures against human trafficking syndicates.

Terrifying Statistics of Route-based Child Deaths

Mediterranean Route: This sea route from North Africa to Europe has proven to be the most fatal for children. More than half of the total child deaths (over 2,000 children) occurred due to drowning in this route.

US-Mexico Border and the Americas: At least 850 child deaths have been recorded due to drowning in rivers and extreme desert weather while attempting to enter the United States from Latin America.

African Continental Route: Hundreds more children lost their lives due to dehydration, starvation, and intense heat while crossing the treacherous terrains of the Sahara Desert and the Horn of Africa.

Gender and Age-based Analysis

IOM stated that among the deceased children whose ages could be identified, more than a hundred were under the age of 5. Furthermore, the mortality rate among male children was slightly higher than female children (around 60 percent). However, in more than half of the cases (nearly 52% of the bodies), neither age nor gender could be correctly identified.

Primary Causes of Death:

Shipwrecks and Drowning: Capsizing of unsafe and overcrowded plastic or wooden boats.
Extreme Weather: Intense heat waves, dehydration, and starvation in deserts.
Trafficker Violence: Physical abuse by human traffickers and smuggling rings, and forcibly pushing migrants into hazardous routes.

Urgent Call from International Agencies

In a joint statement, the IOM and the United Nations children's agency UNICEF expressed deep concern, stating that the absence of legal and safe migration channels is why parents are choosing these suicidal paths for their children. The two agencies urged world leaders to strengthen rescue operations along international borders and implement strict global legal actions against human trafficking syndicates.

Key Details and Data of the Report:

Age of Half of the 81,000 Remains Unknown: Over the past decade, IOM has recorded nearly 81,000 migrant deaths and disappearances globally. However, in 44,862 cases (55.5 percent), no age or age-based information was available for the deceased or missing individuals. Consequently, it remains unknown how many hundreds of children have been lost within this massive number.

Invisible Deaths: Highlighting an example, the report stated that in 2024, children accounted for 19 percent of all arrivals in Italy and Malta via the Central Mediterranean route. Yet, only 2 percent of the recorded deaths on that route were documented as children. This proves that the deaths of countless children lost at the bottom of the sea remain outside the records and completely invisible.

Limitations of Data Sources: IOM revealed that reliable and complete age data for only 18 percent of child deaths is obtained from official government sources like medical examiners and law enforcement agencies. The vast majority of the data comes from various international humanitarian organizations, media outlets, and testimonies of surviving eyewitnesses.

Stuart Campo, IOM's Head of Data and Policy, said, "Every child who loses their life during a migration journey deserves to be accounted for, yet due to data gaps, many are left out of this list. We cannot protect children if we do not see the danger."

Published with the joint support of the International Data Alliance for Children on the Move (IDAC) and UNICEF, the report issued an urgent call to world leaders to properly document the age and migration status of the deceased at borders and to increase data sharing among law enforcement agencies across different countries.