TORONTO, 26 February – Following reports of a migrant boat being shipwrecked off the coast of Calabria in Southern Italy, Raffaela Milano, director of Italy-Europe programs at Save the Children said:
“It is devastating news that many people, including some children, have lost their lives, in today’s tragedy. No child should ever have to make a dangerous, potentially fatal, journey in search of a better life and parents shouldn’t have to risk their children’s lives in search of safety.
Today’s tragedy is a wake-up call and could have been prevented. It has been said for years that tragedies like this should not be repeated, but what happened today shows once again, the urgency for expanding safe and regular routes for those seeking protection. How many more lives will have to be lost before all countries in Europe take joint action to avoid this from happening again?
The safety of vulnerable children and families must be the priority.”
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