New York, Dhu-AlQa'dah 20, 1437, August 23, 2016, SPA -- Almost 26,000 unaccompanied children from Central American countries were apprehended at the US border in the first half of 2016, UNICEF said Tuesday, according to dpa. The figure represents an increase from the 18,500 arrivals of unaccompanied children recorded during the same period in 2015, the UN agency found, noting that the figure for the first six months of 2014 stood at more than 44,500. Another 29,700 people traveling as family units, mainly mothers and young children, were also apprehended at the US-Mexico border from January to June. The children face the risk of being kidnapped, raped, trafficked and killed on the perilous journey. However, they still attempt to reach the United States to escape gang violence and poverty in their home countries, mainly El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Many children never make it to the US border: thousands have died or been kidnapped along the way. About 16,000 children were apprehended as they were making their way through Mexico during the first six months of 2016. "It is heart-rending to think of these children - most of them teenagers, but some even younger - making the gruelling and extremely dangerous journey in search of safety and a better life," said Justin Forsyth, UNICEF deputy executive director. "We must remember that children, whatever their status, are first and foremost children. We have a duty to keep them safe in a healthy and nurturing environment." Meanwhile, US immigration courts continue to be inundated with the asylum cases of unaccompanied minors, with 40 per cent of them facing the judge without a lawyer. Legal representation, which US courts are not required to provide in immigration cases, can make a big difference in the outcome. Forty per cent of unrepresented children are deported compared to 3 per cent of those with a lawyer, UNICEF found. --SPA 03:08 LOCAL TIME 00:08 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w