Massive increase of migrant children at Mexico-US border: UNICEF

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Massive increase of migrant children at Mexico-US border: UNICEF
The amount of migrant children trying to attain america from Mexico has increased nine fold because the beginning of the year, UNICEF said on Monday (Apr 19). The rise from 380 to 3,500 youngsters registered at reception centers at the southern side of the border has overwhelmed the facilities, the UN children's agency said.

"It breaks my heart to see the suffering of so many young children, even babies, on the Mexican border with america," said Jean Gough, the fund's director for Latin America and the Caribbean, who is located in Panama. "Almost all of the shelters I visited in Mexico already are overpopulated and cannot accommodate the growing number of children, adolescents and families migrating northwards," added Gough, carrying out a five-day visit to the border. Mexican authorities are recording typically 275 new migrant children a day waiting to cross in to the USA or having been sent back from the northern side of the border, according to UNICEF. Mostly via Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico, minors make up 30 % of total migrants - the best such figure ever registered for children.

UNICEF said people traffickers "shamelessly exploit" the desperation of families seeking to escape gang and domestic violence, poverty, the consequences of climate change and unemployment brought on by the corona virus pandemic.

Migrants have spoken of abuses they suffered on the journey such as for example extortion, sexual assault, kidnapping and human trafficking, UNCIEF added.

"Latin American families don't emigrate, they're fleeing ... There is nothing to entice them back why would they return?" added Gough.

UNICEF said more reception centers are needed on the border and a noticable difference in social conditions in Central America and poor regions of Mexico to lessen migration.
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