Out of more than 638,000 asylum requests made in EU countries in 2018, 19,700 were made by unaccompanied minors. That is 10% of all the requests made by those under age 18.

The figure was underscored by UNICEF, which called it a large number but noted that it was a decrease from 2017, when about 31,400 asylum requests were filed by unaccompanied minors.

Figures published by UNICEF

Most of those requesting asylum in 2018 were boys (86%) and were between 16 and 17 years old (70%). More than half of these requests were filed by children from six countries: Afghanistan (16%), Eritrea (10%), Pakistan (7%), Syria (7%), Guinea (6%), and Iraq (6%).

UNICEF said over 7,500 unaccompanied minors were in Italy as of May 31, 2019, some of whom were asylum seekers. Between January and May 2019, UNICEF reached about 1,150 children through child protection and skill development interventions: over 400 benefitted from support services (including legal counselling, psycho-social activities and case management), while about 300 received medical treatment and information on transit areas. More than 250 benefited from the protection system and 350 families/individuals were prepared for foster care.

UN agency's recommendations

UNICEF has recommended that Italy adopt decrees to implement law 47/2017. The law was created to strengthen the protection of unaccompanied minors through the creation of "tutors," people called upon to support them in social inclusion, and family foster care as a primary alternative. Two years after it entered into force, however, decrees needed to implement and render the effective application of the law have not yet been issued.

The UN agency has also asked that access to the asylum system be facilitated for minors in need of international protection, ensuring adequate systems of reception and protection, and urged guarantees so that unaccompanied minors be exempted from the ''security decree'', law 132/2018.