UNICEF Costa Rica reflects on migration and childhood

On the occasion of World Children’s Day, which is celebrated next Monday

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stated in a statement that

Latin America and the Caribbean are facing one of the most complex migration crises, and this crisis in the region is increasingly taking on a childish face.

The entity stressed that one out of every four people on the move is a girl, boy or teenager.

According to data from the Immigration and Immigration Directorate, approximately 1,400 people daily enter and pass through Costa Rica, seeking to continue their movement towards the United States, numbers that have never appeared in the country’s immigration records.

Poverty, socioeconomic status, and violence are among the factors causing the number of minors on the move to reach a record high. What is more dangerous is that many people believe that their right to education, health, and protection from all forms of violence is affected.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 41% of the migrant flow are women, 59% are men, and 32% are under the age of 18.

Costa Rica, like other Central American countries, is a migration corridor for people whose destination is the northern countries of the continent, the organization explained after highlighting that it supports government authorities and their allies in expanding access to basic services. Services.

At the moment, it is doing this in cooperation with the institutions on site, both in the Temporary Care Center for Migrants (CATEM) – South and in the Northern Region.

During 2023, five support stations for transit migrant girls and boys were established, located at key points along transit migration routes.

They emphasized that UNICEF, in collaboration with PANI and local development associations, supports 33 safe spaces for children across the country, in priority destination communities for migrants.

OMR/ALB