UNITED NATIONS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 75,000 refugees and migrants, including 24,600 children, stuck in European transit countries are at risk of psychosocial distress, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Thursday.
The stranded asylum seekers in Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Western Balkans are suffering psychologically in face of a protracted state of limbo and uncertain future, said UNICEF.
The situation is particularly acute for single mothers and children in Greece or the Balkans waiting for reunification with family members in other EU countries, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing.
According to the UN, in many cases of refugees, adult males are the first family members to make the trip to Europe, with the rest of the family following later.
However, other family members are being held up in transit countries where they must apply for family reunification as a result of an EU-Turkey agreement in 2016 and border closures in some European countries.
The deal intended to stop the flow of refugees and other migrants into Europe. The process of reunification application typically takes between 10 months and two years.
