SOS MEDITERRANEE / Tess Barthes
World Children’s Day
20 November is World Children’s Day, a global day of action to promote and celebrate children’s rights. Children’s rights are human rights. 10,387 children have been rescued by SOS MEDITERRANEE since 2016, 80% of whom are traveling alone. They have been hungry, frightened, and traumatized by the violence and imprisonment they’ve experienced. These are some of their stories.
Johanna de Tessières/SOS MEDITERRANEE
Ali
Ali was just eight years old when he was saved by the Ocean Viking in 2024. He is the youngest unaccompanied child ever to be rescued.
From his home country of Mali, Ali walked in the desert for a month, picking up work like welding and painting. In Libya, he slept in the street. “I was often beaten up because I’m Black,” he recounted. After trying once to cross the Mediterranean, Ali was caught by the Libyan Coast Guard and imprisoned for several months. “I was scared. I had no money to leave, to eat. Two adults helped me flee.” Ali was rescued in 2024 and, earlier this year, he visited the Ocean Viking. We were thrilled to see him happy and safe, living in a children’s centre in Italy and once again attending school.
Earlier this year, Ali visited the Ocean Viking. We were thrilled to see him happy and safe, living in a children’s center in Italy and once again attending school.
An eight-year-old should never be walking through a desert alone. An eight-year-old should never be in prison. An eight-year, like all children, should be cared for, protected, and have their rights respected.
Francesca Volpi/SOS MEDITERRANEE
Ibrahima
Ibrahima is 14 years old and from the Gambia. He was rescued in March 2024 after drifting for an entire week. At least 69 people on his boat died during the journey. This is his story, in his own words.
“My name is Ibrahima, and I’m from Serekunda in Gambia. I’m travelling alone. I was in Libya for 3 years before I decided to leave. [Ibrahima arrived alone in Libya, an orphan at only 11 years old.] I left my country after the death of my parents. I lost my dad in 2014 and my mum in 2021. Before, I went to school, but then I had no one to help me. I had some friends that told me about people who were travelling to Europe. I decided to do it too. I wanted to help my family (sister), my friends. Many people around me didn’t have enough food to eat. I travelled from Gambia to Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, I crossed the desert in Niger then I arrived in Libya. I spent two months crossing the desert. I was lacking water; I was drinking mixtures of oil and water.”
“In Libya I was working as a car washer. Libya is very sad. There, I was beaten by the mafia; they broke my leg.”
“We departed from Libya with 85 people, including four women and a baby. After two days our engine broke. It was not easy. I saw so many of my friends dying. People perished along the way because of the lack of food and water. There were fishing vessels in the vicinity, we were waving but no one saw us. We had to drink sea water to survive.”
“When I saw the Ocean Viking, I cried. I thought “thank God”. We were suffering. We had no food, no water. On that boat, I was thinking about my sister. I called her the day I left Libya and since then I didn’t give her any news. I was thinking she must be so worried.”
Line
Line is six years old. She and her parents and young siblings were rescued in December 2023. “We were swaying so much on the boat. We almost capsized,” Line recounted, “The boat was leaning on one side, and on the other side, people were crashing into each other. And then the Libyan [Coast Guard] boat arrived, and everybody started screaming. My mum and dad as well, because they were pointing their gun at us.”
The family left Lebanon to seek medical treatment for Line’s severely ill twin sister, who died before they were rescued. Line’s father worked 15 hours per day, seven days a week earning just US$150. The only food Line’s twin could stomach was milk; each packet cost US$30 and she needed three packs per week. The stress of seeing her twin suffer and die caused Lina to have tooth and jaw problems.
On board the ship, Line told our crew, “In Germany, school is awesome. I will be able to learn and study. When I grow up, I want to become a dentist.”
To hear from more children rescued by SOS MEDITERRANEE, read through stories of survivors.
Will you help us save more children like Ali, Ibrahima, and Line?
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