Despite all attempts to stop migrants from crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the United Nations says that large numbers of children are still risking their lives to make the dangerous journey from Libya to Italy.

According to UNICEF, almost 26,000 children – most of them unaccompanied – crossed the Mediterranean in 2016.

In its new report, UNICEF revealed that many children suffer from violence and sexual abuse in the hands of smugglers and traffickers; however, they rarely report their abuse, for fear of arrest and deportation.

The agency also said there is a lack of food, water and medical care in Libya’s detention centers.

According to the BBC, UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Justin Forsyth, was quoted to have said: “What really shocked UNICEF staff and me… is what happens to them [children] on this route.

“Many of these children have been brutalised, raped, killed on this route.”