Around 20 percent of the more than 65,000 migrants who have already reached Italy by sea since the beginning of the year, underlines a new study by the UN Children's organization UNICEF and the NGO Terre des Hommes, are minors.

In the study, entitled "Families on the Move -- Stories of Family Units in Reception Centers in Italy," the two organizations found that around 11,700 children and adolescents had arived in Italy, and just about 1,000 of this group arrived with their families.

In addition to these figures, there are more than 1,700 people who lost their lives in the Mediterranean in 2025, some of whom were members of family units that never managed to complete the journey.

These are among the findings contained in the UNICEF and Terre des Hommes report, an investigation into the reception of asylum-seeking families in Italy.

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Testimonies collected in CAS centers in Sicily and Calabria

The report is based on the collection of witness accounts in Sicily and Calabria, in first reception centers, and extraordinary reception centers (CAS), where UNICEF and Terre des Hommes operate by providing psychosocial support.

Through updated data and first-hand accounts from mothers, fathers, girls and boys gathered directly in reception centers, the report highlights the hardships faced by these families, who have complex needs and specific vulnerabilities.

A lack of alternatives exacerbated by the need to flee wars, violence, persecution or conditions of poverty, as well as climate change, are among the main factors driving many families each year to undertake dangerous journeys by land and sea.

Families often remain in extraordinary reception centers (CAS) for long periods, sometimes several years.

The report underscores how, possible geographic isolation, the presence or absence of specialized staff, and access to basic services such as healthcare, psychological assistance, and educational and schooling services can significantly affect families' pathways.

Prolonged stays, notes the report, combined with fragile social inclusion processes, increase difficulties in accessing autonomous living conditions and reduce freedom of choice regarding one's life project. This entails risks to mental health, especially for those who have already experienced potentially traumatic events linked to the migration journey.

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'A long term vision is needed'

"Families arriving in Italy, often fleeing conflict and violence or driven by the lack of essential care for their sons and daughters, face journeys marked by extreme risks and serious vulnerabilities. Emergency responses alone are not enough: a long-term vision is needed to enable family units to rebuild their lives in conditions of dignity and autonomy, in the interest of those who arrive -- especially girls and boys -- and of the entire community," said Nicola Dell'Arciprete, UNICEF Response Coordinator in Italy for migrant and refugee children and their families.

Federica Giannotta, Head of Advocacy and Italy Programs at Terre des Hommes, added: "Behind every number there is a story, often a painful one, of children and parents who are simply trying to start again with dignity."

Giannotta underlined that, "for over ten years, Terre des Hommes has been present at arrival and disembarkation points to provide appropriate support, especially to the youngest. With this report, we also aim to give visibility to those invisible families, so they can have easier access to all the essential services for their health and protection after a journey that has exposed them to countless dangers."

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