2,000 Egyptian children crossed the Mediterranean alone last year

July 30, 2016

By Laura Dean

Migrants from North Africa wait for transfer in Italy.

CAIRO, Egypt — More and more Egyptians are making the dangerous journey to Europe — just one part of a wave of migration from Africa that is only growing.

But what is especially shocking about the current crisis is the number of children being sent across the sea, most of whom arrive in Italy after making solo trips from North Africa.

Children migrating alone now make up about half of the unofficial Egyptian migrants who reach Italy. Some 2,000 child migrants from Egypt made the journey last year — nearly double the number who did so in 2013.

This may seem strange, given that the general dangers in Egypt are nothing compared to those in war zones like Syria and northern Nigeria. But there’s a good reason behind the jump, stemming from Egypt’s diplomatic agreements with Italy and the euro zone country's local rules.

For Egyptian adults who manage to cross the Mediterranean, it’s very difficult to find a way to stay. In Egypt there is no ongoing war or protracted danger that would prevent them from being immediately sent back.

Not so for migrating children, whom the Italian government is bound by national legislation to protect until they turn 18. More and more, Egyptian parents are sending their children on unaccompanied journeys to Italy so that they can apply for residency, which someday will allow them to bring over relatives.

“Egypt has a readmissions agreement with Italy which basically means that as soon as it’s determined that they don’t have a right to stay they’re sent back … so adults have very little chance of being able to stay,” says Roberto Cancel, program officer with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Cairo.

Often what happens is if the children are there for two years, the Italian government gives them a residency permit and they can then seek family reunification.

While migrants from other countries also send their children to Europe in hopes of being able to reunite legally, in Egypt the trend has risen rapidly in recent years.

In 2012 around 25 to 30 percent of Egyptians making the crossing were unaccompanied minors. Now that number has almost doubled, standing at 50 percent, according to IOM sources.

Egypt’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism, has foundered in the years following the 2011 revolution. Political instability has deterred foreign visitors and investments. Many Egyptian parents feel that despite the risks of the trip, by sending their child to Europe they are guaranteeing their future.

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