The study notes that 93 percent of the 12,239 minors who arrived in Italy in the first six months of 2017 traveled alone. Fewer than half the children who arrived in Italy said that they had left their homes with the aim of arriving in Italy (46 percent) and 75 percent of those interviewed in Italy themselves decided to travel. Most are unaccompanied males between the ages of 16 and 17. 

Minors in Greece, on the other hand, tend to have made the decision to travel alongside their families and arrived together (91 percent of the minors interviewed). In 31 percent of the cases, the minor decided to migrate due to violence or problems at home. Many also say that they left their home countries due to political, religious or ethnic persecution. Child marriage was indicated as the main reason for one in every five of the female children interviewed. 

UNICEF said that over 100,000 refugee and migrant minors, including over 33,800 unaccompanied or separated ones (34 percent) arrived in Europe in 2016. The trip to Italy can last two or more years, while it generally takes less time to get to Greece. 

Refugee and migrant minors in Italy said unanimously that the time they spent in Libya was the most traumatizing part of their journey via land. About half of them (47percent) said that they had been kidnapped for ransom in Libya, while one in every four minors (23 percent) said that they had suffered arbitrary arrest or imprisonment without charges. Most are from various Sub-Saharan countries, though some are from countries far away from such as Bangladesh. 

UNICEF reports that minors who decide to remain in Italy or Greece wait for months prior to receiving legal status in the country and are subject to risks and abuse. Those who opt to continue their journey using legal means are often blocked in transit for months or even years while they wait for their family reunion or relocation requests to be assessed.