Around 47 children vanish every day in Europe, according to new research by cross-border journalism collective Lost in Europe showing more than 50,000 child migrants went missing after arrival over the past three years.
Data requested from 31 European countries, including Austria, Germany, and Italy, show at least 51,433 unaccompanied refugee minors were registered as missing between 2021 and the end of 2023. The actual figure could be higher due to inadequate documentation of cases, with some countries not collecting data on such children at all.
The research builds on findings released in 2021 that revealed at least 18,000 child migrants disappeared upon arrival in Europe in the three years from January 2018 to December 2020.
Aagje Ieven, secretary general for Missing Children Europe, a federation bringing together grassroots organizations across the continent, said the increased number of reported cases revealed by the research serves as a sharp reminder of the many instances yet to be uncovered.
“More of the iceberg is becoming visible, and that is a positive evolution,” she said, comparing the unreported cases to the bulk of the ice below the water’s surface. Out of 31 contacted countries, Lost in Europe received 20 responses, with seven lacking required data and 11 not responding — representing an improvement from 12 responses overall in 2021. Lost in Europe was able to find the data needed for two of the countries that did not respond, Italy and Slovakia, in official reports.
Italy and Austria lead in registrations of missing unaccompanied minors, with 22,899 and 20,077 cases respectively, followed by Belgium, Germany and Switzerland with between roughly 2,200 and 1,200 reported cases.
However, higher numbers in Italy and Austria do not necessarily indicate more cases, but that more efficient data collection systems are in place, Ieven said. ” We need to get all of the countries to more diligently report,” she told CNN, since children can be better protected if they are in the system.