According to new data from the cross-border journalistic collective Lost in Europe, over 47 children disappear in Europe every day. during 50,000 juvenile migrants went missing after arriving during the previous three years.
According to information gathered from 31 European nations, including Austria, Germany, and Italy, at least 51,433 minor unaccompanied refugees were reported missing between the end of 2023 and the start of 2021. The true number may be higher because some nations do not collect any data at all on these children, and there is insufficient documentation of cases.
The study expands upon findings published in 2021, which showed that throughout the three years between January 2018 and December 2020, at least 18,000 juvenile refugees vanished after arriving in Europe. The secretary general of Missing Children Europe, a federation that unites grassroots organizations throughout the continent, Aagje Ieven, stated that the research's increasing number of reported cases serves as a stark reminder of the numerous cases that remain undiscovered.
Comparing the unreported cases to the majority of the ice underneath the water's surface, she stated, "More of the iceberg is becoming apparent, and that is a positive evolution." Lost in Europe received 20 responses out of 31 nations contacted; seven did not provide the necessary information, and 11 did not reply; this is an improvement than the 12 responses obtained overall in 2021.
Two of the nations that did not reply, Slovakia and Italy, had information that Lost in Europe was able to locate in official papers. With 22,899 and 20,077 cases, respectively, Italy and Austria top the list of countries where missing unaccompanied adolescents are registered. Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland follow with between 2,200 and 1,200 cases reported.
Higher statistics in Italy and Austria, according to Ieven, do not always mean that there are more cases; rather, they simply mean that better data collection methods are in place. She stated, "We need to get all of the countries to report more thoroughly, as children who are in the system can be better protected."
Ieven expressed concern over the plight of unaccompanied minor migrants who go missing. "If they have not already been taken advantage of by smugglers to pay off debts, they are more likely to be targeted by traffickers since they have authority over their loved ones or their passports."
Children of migrants disappear for a variety of reasons. There are concerns that individuals may have fallen prey to human traffickers or been subjected to exploitation in the sex business. Others choose to vanish on their own to avoid dangerous circumstances or because they do not trust the authorities. According to Ieven, a lot of people relocate without registering their relocation to rejoin friends or family in other nations.
I even mentioned that in addition to the several traumas kids experience before arriving in Europe, their lack of opportunities leaves them open to exploitation. According to a 2022 Ghent University study, 84% of children who migrated to Europe endured physical abuse, and over 90% of them witnessed it.
As per the United Nations, around 40% of the global displaced population consists of children. Thousands of youngsters are separated from their families and relatives as they leave wars and conflicts, and some go alone after their parents send them ahead in an attempt to secure their survival.
At least one in three of the unaccompanied minors who vanished in Europe between 2021 and 2023 came from Afghanistan. The number of Afghan children traveling there surged with the Taliban takeover of power in August 2021. Data gathered by Lost in Europe indicates that Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, and Tunisia are other noteworthy countries of origin.
"The situation represents a crisis in child protection," Patricia Durr, chief executive of the children's rights organization ECPAT UK, stressed in remarks to Lost in Europe. "It is made worse by punitive border policies and the lack of safe and legal routes for children in Europe to move between member states safely."
According to a spokesman for the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, there are unique difficulties in obtaining legal counsel and being accepted due to the significant increase in minor unaccompanied refugee asylum applications, as reported by Lost in Europe.
According to a 2020 study published by the European Migration Network, which receives funding from the EU, the majority of EU member states are required to report and register missing children within 24 hours; however, as I even brought up , this rule is frequently not fulfilled. Patricia Durr expressed more worries regarding the effects that the EU's new Asylum and Migration Pact, which was adopted by the European Parliament in April 2024, may have on children who are displaced. "A clear violation of children's rights under international law, measures like placing children in jail for screening reasons would make them more susceptible to abuse, trafficking, and disappearance," the spokesperson said.
Ieven claims that registering immigrant children and recognizing their rights—which include the right to an education—is essential to ensuring their safety. "Knowing they have a future inside the system, not outside of it," she stated, is what will keep them safe. A non-profit cross-border journalistic initiative called Lost in Europe looks into the disappearance of young migrants in Europe.
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