The number of child migrants arriving in an Italian city has more than doubled, a report says

ROME (AP) — An aid group says that the number of unaccompanied children who arrived in the northern Italian city of Trieste through the Balkan migratory route has more than doubled last year. The International Rescue Committee’s annual report released on Thursday said that about 3,000 unaccompanied children arrived in Trieste in 2023. There was a 112% rise compared to the previous year. Trieste is near Italy’s borders with Croatia and Slovenia. The minors represented nearly 20% of all migrants in the city supported by IRC and its partners. The Central Mediterranean remains the most active migratory route into Europe, European Union border agency Frontex says. The route accounts for 41% of irregular crossings, followed by the Western Balkans, the second most active route with 26% of the crossings.