According to the report “Hope and harm” (“Hope and Harm”) by the NGO Save the Children, More than two million boys and girls have fled from their countries of origin to Europe in the last two years.

56% of minors who have fled to Europe felt afraid of being in the hands of border agents, police or traffickers who crossed their path, with the exception of Ukrainian children that what they regret above all is the separation from their parents who could not leave the country because of Martial Law.

This Save the Children report concludes that refugee minors from countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and Afghanistan have suffered violence, including beatings and threats from the police with firearms at Europe’s external borders.

Jennifer Zupirolli, Head of Children at Save the Children, asks the EU to reconsider the Migration and Asylum Pact that finalize the 27 in Brussels. “We want to highlight how the experience is absolutely different in the case of children of Ukrainian origin because they do have the possibility of moving safely between European countries,” says Zupirolli. And he asks, within the framework of the negotiations of the European pact on migration and asylum, “that the lessons learned from the Ukraine crisis be incorporated and that no child is left unprotected on their journey to Europe.”

The NGO recalls that with the new system drawn up by the future EU Migration and Asylum pact, children who arrive in Europe irregularly could be detained and have their freedom of movement limited, something that would negatively affect their access to essential services such as education or health.