Child migrant arrivals in Greece quadruple this year, Save the Children reports

International NGO, Save the Children, reports that child migrant arrivals in Greece have quadrupled this year.

According to the report, more than 6,400 migrant children entered Greece this year, more than four times the number over the same period in 2023.

Analysis of monthly figures from UNHCR suggest that, between January and June this year, about 5,580 migrant children arrived by sea to Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, while about 830 arrived by land – a combined 400 per cent increase compared to the 1,280 migrant children who arrived in the first half of 2023.

Fileri Kyriaki, a lawyer with the Greek Council for Refugees—a Save the Children local partner said children travelling to Greece often experience agony and fear, knowing that they could die on their journey.

“There are no safe and legal channels to migration. The children have to risk their lives,” she said.