Tunisia – AFP
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights revealed, on Wednesday, that the number of minor migrants who reached the Italian coasts and set off from Tunisia has quadrupled during the past five years, setting a “record.”
The organization’s statistics showed that the number of minors (less than 18 years old) was a “record” in 2021, amounting to 2,731, of whom 2,076 were unaccompanied.
The Forum’s spokesperson, Ramadan bin Omar, confirmed in a press conference: The operations of thwarting the crossings by the Coast Guard rose from 13,466 migrants intercepted in 2020 to 25657 in 2021.
Between 70 and 80% of minors are from sub-Saharan Africa, according to the organization, which did not provide figures for the number of Tunisians among them.
The organization considers that the deterioration of the economic and social situation and the tense political climate are the most important factors driving the development of irregular migration attempts from African coasts towards European coasts. 15,617 migrants arrived on the Italian coast from Tunisia during 2021.
Tunisia is witnessing a crisis in the economic and social situation, where the unemployment rate has reached 18.4 percent, and the inflation rate has risen to 6.7 percent.
