CAIRO: A boat smuggling 560 Egyptian children arrived at Italian coasts Tuesday, announced Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram.
Makram said most of the children are less than 11 years old; her statements came during a Tuesday celebration by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) to the World Statistics Day.
“Italy provides residence and shelters for minors, and teaches them crafts,” she said, adding that she is trying to reach out to all Egyptian migrants abroad through her connections with Egyptian laborers in Italy.
The minister underscored that the responsibility of the care of the migrants abroad does not fall on the Immigration Ministry only, but it is a shared responsibility with Defense, Education and Interior ministries as well.
She further highlighted the importance of the role of the religious discourse to raise awareness of families to pay more attention to their children and not to encourage them to emigrate.
Italy has frequently deported Egyptians who have illegally arrived in its territories. On the other hand, Egyptian border guards have arrested hundreds of Egyptians and foreign unregistered migrants while attempting to sail to Italy, or enter land border of Libya.