Hundreds of Migrant Children Arrived in Italy

A rescue ship with hundreds of migrant children from more than 15 countries arrived in Italy, the BBC reported.

Aquarius, run by non-governmental organizations SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders, arrived with a total of 606 people aboard, including 241 children rescued Tuesday and Wednesday. Nearly 180 of the children were unaccompanied, non-governmental organizations said.

Among them, there were also a week-old baby and pre-school children.

"The many rescue operations carried out by Aquarius over the last few days in a broad geographical area show that the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean is still continuing and even worsening," said SOS Mediterranee.

"Among the rescued adults there were 11 pregnant women , two of which in the ninth month. The migrants who left Libya for Italy come from different countries, including Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Syria, Somalia, Yemen. Many migrants have reported to social workers that they have been victims of sexual violence and torture in Libya, where they spent months as prisoners.