Highlights
Refugees and migrants continue to arrive in Europe at unprecedented levels– so far this year 921,713 people have arrived by sea. Nearly 212,000 of them are children.
The proportion of children registered at the border between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has increased from 9 per cent in June to 32 per cent in November.
Between 18 November and 1 December, more than 9,372 children have rested and played in UNICEF child-friendly spaces in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia.
More than 2,980 babies and infants used UNICEF mother-and-baby care spaces in Serbia and Croatia during the second half of November. This is an increase of more than 30 per cent compared to the beginning of November.
The speed of population movements, selective processing of refugees and migrants based on their nationality at border crossing points and the limited time spent by children in reception centres are currently the major factors influencing the UNICEF’s response to the crisis.
UNICEF still faces a funding gap of US$2,070,481 which is 15 per cent of the total appeal of US$14,019,135 to respond to the crisis.
Funding needs are being revised to address the evolving situation
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
921,713 # of arrivals in Europe by sea in 2015 (UNHCR, 8 December 2015)
758,790 # of arrivals by sea through Greece in 2015 (UNHCR, 8 December 2015)
UNICEF Appeal 2015/2016 US$14,019,135
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
More than 921,713 people have taken perilous journeys by sea to reach Europe so far in 2015 (UNHCR). Of them, 83 percent arrived through Greece. Approximately 212,000 are children, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Children are particularly at risk during sea crossings, and at least 185 deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean this year were of children- 5 per cent of them under 2 years of age. Between 28 and 30 November, 8 children died after their boats sank off the Turkish coast of Canakkale and Mugla provinces. Such accidents are expected to rise as weather conditions deteriorate with the onset of winter.
The number and proportion of refugee and migrant children on the move across Europe continues to increase. In Serbia, more than 46,820 children were registered by the Ministry of Interior in November 2015. During the past month, one in three refugees and migrants on the move in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia was a child (compared to 1 in 10 in June and 1 in 4 in September). In Slovenia, 49 per cent of all arrivals since 16 October are women and children, many of whom under the age of 5. The number and proportion of unaccompanied and separated children registered at the border between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has also increased from 5 per cent of all registered refugees and migrants in September to 7 per cent in December.
UNICEF is concerned about possible repercussions, including exposure to violent clashes, for children and women on the move, due to unpredictable border restrictions and policies of selective processing of refugees and migrants based on their nationality, as well as the erection of new fences on national borders. The latest such situation was at the border of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece leading to violence and temporary border closure on 3 December. Technical barriers along the Slovenian border with Croatia continue being erected.
Due to the decreased number of people on the Western Balkans route and fast tracking of nationals of Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, registration is now much faster and the time spent in reception centres has decreased to one hour in Slavonski Brod, Croatia. This imposes significant challenges to service provision and humanitarian relief for refugee and migrant children. Winter, fast-changing political discourses which result in altering migration routes in SouthEastern Europe also require urgent actions to adapt the humanitarian response. During the second half of November, more than 1,050 refugees and migrants were registered in Bulgaria, amongst whom one third were children. The threefold increase in the number of people arriving in Serbia from Bulgaria (422 people during the last two weeks of November) requires attention as many families and children are among the arrivals. Although the flow of people through Bulgaria remains limited, UNICEF is concerned about the reports of violence and extremely difficult conditions endured by refugees and migrants. Another serious concern is that 138 refugee and migrant children remain in detention- the large majority of them attached to non-related adults.
Countries of destination, such as Germany, which has received an estimated 260,000 children by the end of November 2015, see their capacities overstretched. The high number of new arrivals and backlogs in pending asylum cases leave children in overcrowded temporary accommodation centres and emergency shelters for months, exposed to considerable protection risks and limited or no access to education, health care and social inclusion.