The United Nations said Friday that the number of children crossing the eastern Mediterranean is growing and called for the safety of those escaping conflict and disaster. The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), the U.N. children's fund (UNICEF), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned in a joint statement that since September, more than 340 children have drowned in the eastern Mediterranean. The total number may be even greater as some bodies have been lost at sea. "We cannot turn our faces away from the tragedy of so many innocent young lives and futures lost – or fail to address the dangers so many more children are facing," UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said. "We may not have the ability now to end the desperation that causes so many people to try to cross the sea, but countries can and must cooperate to make such dangerous journeys safer. No one puts a child in a boat if a safer option is available."
