50,00 Unaccompanied Child Refugees Go Missing Every Year In Europe

A new study by Lost in Europe has revealed that around 47 children go missing every day in Europe, making over 50,000 unaccompanied refugee minors disappear during their stay within a period of three years between 2021 and the end of 2023. The report indicates an increase from earlier research released in 2021 that identified around 18,000 missing child migrants over a similar timeframe.
The study was based on data obtained through requests made to thirty-one European countries including Austria, Germany and Italy which showed at least fifty-one thousand four hundred and thirty-three unaccompanied refugee minors registered as ‘missing’ between 2021 and the end of 2023. However, it is believed that this figure could be higher due to inadequate documentation of cases since some countries do not record data about missing child migrants at all.
Italy (with a reported number of twenty-two thousand eight hundred ninety-nine) and Austria (twenty thousand seventy-seven) lead the list, followed by Belgium, Germany and Switzerland with between roughly two thousand two hundred and one thousand two hundred cases each. Nevertheless, higher numbers in Italy and Austria do not necessarily indicate more instances since countries that have efficient data collection systems report such figures to a greater extent than those without these measures in place.
According to Aagje Ieven from Missing Children Europe, an organisation of grassroots organisations across the continent working on missing children cases, “More of the iceberg is becoming visible and this is a positive evolution.” She added that some instances are yet uncovered since many go undocumented due to inadequate data collection. Out of thirty-one countries contacted for the research, Lost In Europe received twenty responses while seven failed to provide required information; eleven did not respond at all – an improvement from twelve overall in 2021.
The fate of missing unaccompanied migrant children is worrisome as they are more vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation by smugglers or human traffickers, particularly if already subjected to such practices for the payment of debts owed, control over relatives’ passports, or due to unsafe reception conditions. Children may also disappear voluntarily because they do not trust authorities since multiple factors contribute to their disappearance, including exploitation in sex industries and fleeing from wars and conflicts that force them into separation from families and loved ones.
Afghanistan was the country of origin for at least one-third (around thirty percent) of unaccompanied minors who went missing between 2021 and 2023, with numbers increasing following Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. Other significant countries include Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco according to the data collected by Lost In Europe.
Patricia Durr from ECPAT UK emphasised that this situation represents a crisis in child protection which is worsened due to punitive border policies and lack of safe legal routes for children moving between European Union member states safely. She added, “Measures such as including children within detention for screening purposes are clear breaches of their rights under international law.”
According to Ieven, registering migrant children, acknowledging their rights – including access to education- and ensuring that they have a future in the system rather than outside it is crucial because understanding these points ensures safer migration for unaccompanied refugee minors.