Syracuse — Minors on the Edge of Europe

From the African coast, primarily Libya, hundreds seek a better life in Europe, attempting to reach Italy, Sicily, or Lampedusa. Every week, more than a thousand refugees and asylum seekers disembark at the port of Augusta. Among them are minors from Syria, Iraq, Bangladesh, Mali, and Guinea, traveling alone for weeks or months, carrying the hopes of entire families and communities.

Upon arrival, they are meant to stay briefly in transit centres before being referred elsewhere. In reality, this waiting can stretch into months. Days pass in centres without occupation, while life and opportunity wait beyond the walls.

Terre des hommes is leading a pilot project to support these minors. They are offered psychological consultations with professionals, spaces to recount and process their journeys, and guidance to imagine and plan for their lives in Europe. These moments are small islands of care amid uncertainty, helping young people navigate trauma and glimpse the possibility of a future shaped by their own choices.