In its annual report, Save the Children stated that more than 4,000 children have died on migration routes worldwide between 2014 and early 2025.
Insecurity, hunger, and climate change have been cited as the main reasons for child migration. According to the report, the deadliest migration routes for children include the route from Afghanistan to Iran, the Mediterranean Sea, the Sahara Desert, and the U.S.–Mexico border crossing.
The report states: “According to the analysis of IOM data, the deadliest routes for children were the Mediterranean Sea, followed by the Sahara Desert, the Afghanistan-to-Iran migration route, and the US-Mexico border crossing. Almost half of all recorded child migrant deaths were caused by drowning, while at least one in every seven deaths resulted from vehicle accidents or dangerous transport conditions.”
Save the Children also identified the decline in foreign aid as one of the drivers of child migration and urged world leaders to invest in securing the future of children.
The organization emphasized the importance of collecting accurate data on the situation of migrant children, including information related to health, education, protection, and causes of death.
Asifa Stanekzai, a migrant and child rights activist, said: “To prevent such tragedies, measures should be taken such as strengthening education, improving the economic status of families, providing social support to children, raising awareness about irregular migration, reforming laws, and building support structures for children.”
This comes as, due to economic challenges, many Afghan children and adolescents have been forced to migrate to neighboring countries in recent years.
