NGO says EU border policy driving young refugees into the hands of traffickers

International NGO Save the Children says the EU’s increasingly strict policy is driving the most vulnerable unaccompanied children into the hands of traffickers.

He left Sudan more than two years ago and made it to Crete only this spring.

"During the war, I saw many things happen with my own eyes," the young refugee says. "The rebel army raided our neighbour’s house and took the children away. Some never returned. It was dangerous because you run out of water and food. Anything can happen to you and then you can only rely on God.The treatment was very bad in prison as there was no water time and time again.”

Some four million Sudanese children have been forced to leave their homes since civil war erupted in their country more than two years ago. Some are displaced within Sudan, while others escaped abroad.

The international NGO Save the Children spoke to dozens of young people fleeing the war about their experience. They described the arduous journeys they took, often made harder by stricter border controls.

Many travel through Egypt and Libya, countries the European Union pays to help prevent more refugees attempting to reach Europe. But people still attempt the dangerous Mediterranean crossing, and the number of children is increasing.

Save the Children says the EU’s increasingly strict policy is driving the most vulnerable unaccompanied children into the hands of traffickers, and beyond the reach of aid workers.