33,000 people have gone missing or died in the Mediterranean since 2014.

More than 32,700 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean since 2014. These migrants were attempting to reach Europe without regular and safe routes. This year alone, crossing one of the world's most dangerous routes has cost the lives of more than 1,200 migrants. Many of them are children and adolescents. The report comes from Save the Children , just days after the anniversary of the tragic shipwreck of October 3, 2013, off the coast of Lampedusa , in which 368 people died.

Migrants fleeing an increasingly pervasive context of war, persecution, human rights violations, extreme poverty, hunger, and humanitarian crises do not hesitate to risk their lives on extremely dangerous crossings. This is why Save the Children continues to call for the opening of regular and safe channels to Europe, ensuring respect for human rights and, at the same time, the activation of a coordinated and structured search and rescue system at sea to save people in distress. This system must act in accordance with international principles and demonstrate the solidarity that is a founding value of the European Union , ensuring that rescues conclude in a safe port on dry land.

In 2025, 50,098 refugees and migrants arrived in Italy by sea (data from the Ministry of the Interior's Dashboard , updated to September 29, 2025) , including 9,156 unaccompanied foreign minors, representing 18% of total arrivals, compared to 11% last year (data from the Ministry of the Interior's Dashboard: in the same period in 2024, out of a total of 48,646 arrivals, 5,542 were unaccompanied minors). Unaccompanied foreign minors are among the most vulnerable groups, unaccompanied children and adolescents facing very complex challenges and situations for whom immediate reception in a safe place and the implementation of protection and safeguarding measures are essential.

"Security policies and the strengthening of Europe's borders are making the journey of unaccompanied foreign minors increasingly precarious and dangerous," comments Giorgia D'Errico , Director of Institutional Relations at Save the Children. "The restrictive measures adopted by the EU and Member States regarding access and asylum have a severely negative impact on minors and vulnerable individuals. Europe's borders have become places of violence and human rights violations, where illegal pushbacks—including of minors—are now widespread. It is unacceptable that national interests prevail over the protection of children's rights. We must ensure reception and inclusion programs tailored to the specific needs of minors, fully respecting their best interests."

This year too, Save the Children – permanently present in Lampedusa to provide an immediate response to the needs of families with children and unaccompanied minors arriving on the island – is participating in the activities organised by the October 3 Committee with workshops aimed at Italian and foreign students and with the presence of a representation of boys and girls from the Save the Children Youth Movement and the editorial team of Change the Future , who will report on the days on their social media channels .

Credit: the photo is from Save the Children