A total of 23,255 unaccompanied minors, including Moroccans, sought asylum to the EU member states by the end of 2021, according to Eurostat’s latest data.
Moroccan unaccompanied minors applying for international protection in the EU throughout 2021 represent 1% of the total number.
The majority of unaccompanied minors came from Afghanistan, representing 53% of all applications, followed by Syrian nationals (16%), Bangladesh (6%), Somalia, and Pakistan (5% each), Egypt and Iraq (2% each), Eritrea and Guinea (1% each), while the remaining applications were from other countries (8%).
As for gender, the majority of unaccompanied minors were male (93%), added Eurostat.
Additionally, 68% of them were aged 16 to 17, while those aged 14 to 15 accounted for 23%, and 9% were aged under 14,” added the report.
Eurostat’s data showed that 5,070 unaccompanied minors applying for asylum obtained protection status in the 27-nation-bloc. Among these, 48% were issued subsidiary protection, 34% obtained refugee status, and 18% were granted humanitarian protection.
In the EU member states, Austria was the most chosen destination among asylum seekers, mainly unaccompanied minors (24%), ahead of Germany and Bulgaria, both receiving 14% of all applications filed by this category.
Greece received 10% of applications, while Belgium and Romania both recorded 9% of the total applications, said the report’s data.
Countries that issued the most protection statuses to asylum seekers for 2021 include France (17%), ahead of Italy (12%), Spain (8%), Austria, and Greece (both 7%), with Germany being the leading country, representing 33% of all protection statuses issued, according to the same source.
Recently, Morocco and Spain agreed on sending back unaccompanied minors to their home country, in a move to better manage migration flows.
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