Italy sees ~2,000 migrant children arriving with families in 2025, Save the Children warns of protection gaps

Save the Children estimates that about 2,000 minors arrived in Italy in 2025 together with their families via sea routes. The limited data show families with children are present along all major migratory paths, often facing rejection or return, making them a particularly fragile and invisible group.

The organization’s latest report, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” criticises Italy’s reception system for failing to monitor and accommodate these families. First‑reception centres, designed mainly for single adults, lack privacy and adequate space, leading to overcrowding, isolation and difficulties in schooling. In 2025, more than 10,334 children were placed in the second‑reception system (SAI), which accounts for 69.7% of the 14,829 minors hosted.

With the European Migration and Asylum Pact under parliamentary review, the report warns of new risks such as administrative detention of families. Antonella Inverno, Save the Children’s research lead, said, “the fundamental rights of minors in our country must be respected.” The study calls for specific monitoring, protection of family unity and proper accommodation to address the systemic gaps.