by Ahmeddin Osman
This article is based on the report “Deaths of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Young People in the Care of, or Supported by, Local Authorities”, commissioned by Da’aro Youth Project and published in April 2026. The research draws on information collected from UK local authorities through Freedom of Information requests and covers deaths recorded between 2015 and 2024.
Between 2015 and 2024, at least 54 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people died while in the care of, or supported by, the local authorities.
Eritrean children and young people made up around 12.5% of unaccompanied asylum-seeking child applications during this period.
Yet they account for more than half of all suicide deaths among this group.
This is a deeply painful reality.
It means Eritrean young people, while not the largest group arriving in the UK, are disproportionately represented in the most tragic outcomes.
Behind these figures are real lives, shaped not only by migration, but by actual lived experience under a brutal regime before they ever left Eritrea, and by journeys marked by extreme danger.
They Did Not Leave Eritrea by Choice
Eritrean young people do not leave home lightly.
Most leave because staying means living without freedom, safety, or a future they can control.
Many grow up under indefinite national service, where years of their youth are taken under strict and often harsh conditions. For some, this means forced labour, limited freedom, and life decisions taken out of their hands.
Others face imprisonment, punishment, or persecution. Even trying to leave the country can place them and their families at serious risk.
There are no safe or legal routes out.
So they leave as children or teenagers, often alone and often in fear.
They leave behind parents, siblings, and everything familiar.
A Journey Marked by Danger and Survival
The journey out of Eritrea is often long and extremely dangerous.
Many cross deserts where people die from hunger, thirst, and exhaustion.
Some are trafficked, detained, or abused along the way.
Others pass through places such as Libya, where violence, exploitation, and detention have been widely reported.
Some never complete the journey.
Those who do arrive in Europe or the UK carry what they have experienced with them.
These experiences do not stay behind. They remain in memory, in the body, and in daily life.
Arriving in Safety, but Still Carrying Pain
The UK is seen as a place of safety.
But safety is not only about being out of immediate danger. It is also about feeling supported, understood, and able to rebuild life.
Many Eritrean young people arrive alone, without family, and must adjust quickly to a completely new system and language
They often carry deep concern for family members still in danger.
At the same time, they may feel isolated, far from people who share their culture or understand their experiences.
Much of what they have lived through is carried silently.
Trauma is often not spoken about openly.
But silence does not remove pain.
For some young people, this can develop into severe emotional and psychological distress, including trauma and depression.
The Most Vulnerable Moment
One of the most difficult stages comes when young people turn 18.
This is when many leave care and are expected to begin independent life.
But turning 18 does not remove trauma.
It does not erase fear, grief, or memory.
Instead, it can feel like losing the last layer of protection and support at the very moment it is still most needed.
A Pattern That Must Be Understood
The report is based on data collected from local authorities in England and Wales through Freedom of Information requests.
It covers deaths of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people between 2015 and 2024.
Within this period, Eritrean young people are repeatedly and consistently present in the most tragic outcomes.
This is not random.
It reflects a combination of severe lived experience under repression in Eritrea, extremely dangerous journeys, and the emotional challenges of rebuilding life alone in a new country.
In some cases, young people who died also knew each other, which deepened grief within already vulnerable communities.
More Than Statistics
Each young person is someone’s child.
Someone who left home in desperation, not comfort.
Someone who survived journeys most people will never have to imagine.
Someone who hoped for safety, dignity, and a future.
Some struggled in silence after arrival.
Others carried heavy emotional burdens without being seen or fully supported.
Their families are left with grief that is distant, painful, and often without answers.
A Call for Compassion and Care
These deaths are not inevitable.
They are connected to long journeys of suffering and the challenges young people face before and after arrival.
Eritrean young people come seeking safety, dignity, and the chance to live freely.
Many arrive already carrying deep emotional pain from everything they have survived.
What happens after arrival matters deeply.
With understanding, compassion, and timely support, lives can be protected and futures can be supported.
This is not only a policy issue.
It is a human responsibility.
And it must be spoken about with honesty, care, and urgency.
