More than one-third of the migrants heading from Turkey to Greece by sea are children, according to UNICEF. Six months ago, 73% of these refugees were male, and only one in 10 of them had an accompanying child. With women and children making up a majority of those making the trip, even more people are at risk and in need of protection on land, a UNICEF official said.

The United Nations agency has urged the international community to prioritise the protection of women and children refugees. It also emphasised the need to consider an unaccompanied child’s best interests before any action is taken. According to the International Organisation for Migration, one in every five people who drowned last month while sailing from Turkey to Greece was a child. In addition, Europol estimated that as many as 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children who travelled to Europe may be unaccounted for.