. >> normally that would be part of your job as u.n.i.c.e.f., to gather the kids up, and keep them safe>> yes. what we want, what we are looking for is to make sure the children are not called. we are making sure they are not smuggled. i can tell you all of the world between here and germany, no one is going to do anything legal. no one had the means. the main objective is to make sure no one stays behind. >> the truth is on the long road many countries like macedonia don't want the burden of caring for the children. so it's not until they get to destinations in austria, germany and beyond, that they come forward and ask for help. last year alone germany registered 60,000 unaccompanied minors, a huge increase from the previous year when 24,000 were reported for all of europe. like this 16-year-old sarah, we met her in berlin. can i ask why did your parents agree that you could make this difficult journey on your own? >> at first my parents were against it. i threatened to commit suicide if i didn't agree to leave. future. >> reporter: sarah is in legal limbo. the german system is overwh