Between 1 and 31 January 2018, 586 unaccompanied and separated children arrived in Italy by sea, representing 14% of all sea arrivals in this period. In the same period last year, 798 UASC were registered at landing points, accounting for 18% of all persons reaching Italian shores.
UASC arriving by sea in January 2018 most commonly originated from Eritrea (208), followed by Tunisia (55), Côte d'Ivoire (45), Guinea (45), The Gambia (36), Senegal (25), Pakistan (23), and Sierra Leone (21). While UASC arrivals from Nigeria, as well as from western African countries, but Sierra Leone, have decreased, the numbers of Tunisian and Pakistani UASC arrivals are significant higher than in January 2017, when one Tunisian UASC and no Pakistani UASC reached Italian shores. More significantly, the numbers of Eritrean UASC who arrived by sea in January 2018 has risen considerably compared to January 2017, when only 4 Eritrean UASC were registered at landing points.