ACERWC African Committee of Experts on the Rights & Welfare of the Child Source: UNHCR, March 2018375 In 2015, a survey by the North Africa Mixed Migration Hub shed some light on the reasons why children travel alone. Among the reasons given is that they personally faced imminent threats and harassment, or because their families had resources to only send one person or because they were orphans looking at making a better future for themselves. Some children have travelled alone in search of economic opportunities to help their families back home. The common pattern is that they “ were orphans or from single parent families”.376 4.3 The West Africa Route Map 8: The West Africa route (source: i-map migration) Movement in West Africa is facilitated by the open borders within the region. Children travelling within the region are not always seeking to leave it (e.g. travel further North to North Africa and to Europe). The choice of routes depends on the motive for movement. Those who remain in the region use axis such as Mali-Burkina Faso, Nigeria-Niger-Burkina Faso, Nigeria-Cameroon and NigeriaNiger to flea conflict. Those on the move within the region either so towards the Northern route 375 376 UNHCR. 11 April 2018. Italy Sea Arrivals Dashboard. Last accessed: 2 June 2018. North Africa Mixed Migration Hub. 2015. Detained youth: the fate of young migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Libya today. P53 68