A/HRC/36/51 the children migrating to the north are male, but recently the number of females has increased. 70. In cases of sexual exploitation, female victims are in the majority. For instance, unaccompanied migrant children in Italy who originate from Nigeria, and who are often reported to be victims of trafficking and exploitation, are mostly female. 67 71. In Senegal, transit and/or destination areas are clearly distinguished by gender considerations. Thus, migration related to domestic work mostly involves female migrants and that related to jobs that need physical strength mostly involves males. Existing data in Senegal indicate that migration has gradually become more “feminized”. Senegalese girls account for two out of three victims of trafficking. 72. In one of the most severe instances of gender-based migration, over 20,000 women and young girls (mostly aged between 12 and 25 years) are smuggled every year from Nepal to India for domestic or sex work and marriage. 68 In recent times, some girls as young as eight have been rescued from traffickers. Some girls are taken from their homes and communities to work as sex slaves in the brothels of Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or Siliguri. Around 200,000 girls from Nepal are working in Indian brothels. 69 73. A 2016 survey in the Syrian Arab Republic, conducted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the American University of Beirut and Sawa for Development and Aid, found that more than one third of 2,400 refugee women and girls between the ages of 20 and 24 years had been married before reaching the age of 18 years. Among refugee girls currently aged between 15 and 17 years, some 24 per cent are married. Before the current devastating conflict erupted, child marriage was significantly less common among Syrians. Some estimates show child marriage rates to be four times higher among Syrian refugees in 2016 than among Syrians before the crisis.70 VI. Regional and inter-State coordination 74. For the purpose of effective decision-making and assuring the legal rights of migrant children, many countries work with multi-agency coordination mechanisms, involving the authorities of the public administration, international organizations, academics and civil society organizations. There are various procedures bringing together ministers, government agencies and local institutions for the purpose of sharing information and collaborating in the management of migrant children but, in many cases, these procedures are not efficient or designed from a human rights perspective. 75. Cooperation between countries in Latin America is focused on arrest and repatriation of children to their countries of origin, which explains the invisibility of children as stakeholders. The need for protection is often absent in the analysis of situations that expose children to risk. Therefore refugee status is not an option in most cases, despite the legitimate reasons which would make children eligible. International collaboration from a perspective of prevention is rare indeed.71 76. At the regional level, Mexico is part of the Regional Conference on Migration. This is a multilateral regional forum on international migration for Caribbean, Central American and North American countries, dealing with issues of origin, transit, destination and return of migrants. Members of the Regional Conference formed an ad hoc group on migrant children in order to promote immediate action and effective protection of unaccompanied migrant children during all phases of the migration flow. However, despite its importance, this effort has had little real impact. 67 68 69 70 71 Source: Caritas Senegal. Source: Caritas India. Ibid. UNFPA, “New study finds child marriage rising among most vulnerable Syrian refugees”, 31 January 2017. Available from http://www.unfpa.org/news/new-study-finds-child-marriage-rising-amongmost-vulnerable-syrian-refugees#sthash.bPOVVkBs.dpuf. Source: World Vision Latin America and the Caribbean. 13