As of 31 December 2021, the number of unaccompanied foreign children and adolescents increased by 73%, while the number of voluntary guardians registered in the Juvenile Court lists remained substantially stable (-0.35% compared to the same period in 2020).

This is what emerges from the Fourth Monitoring Report on the voluntary protection system of the Italian Ombudsperson for Children (AGIA), which covers the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.

According to the report's data, there were 12,284 unaccompanied foreign children registered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies as of 31 December 2021 (7,080 in 2020): 9 out of 10 are male, predominantly seventeen-year-olds (62.1%) and they mostly arrived in the South and the islands (55.48%). Sicily alone accounts for 28% (3,466).

The publication is available online, on the website of the documentation centre on the voluntary protection system, in the dedicated news item and in the "Monitoring Reports" section.

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