In Belgium, 427 refugee children have disappeared from the Fedasil reception centres without a trace, according to new figures from Missing Children Europe and Child Focus.
It is estimated that over 30,000 minors who arrived among the refugees who have arrived in Europe have gone missing, with authorities and police forces seemingly overwhelmed by the phenomenon.
The ‘Missing Children Europe’, the European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children, stated that the majority of missing children disappear just before or during their asylum procedure. They are not always cared for adequately, and the slow and complex procedures drive many children to disappear, reports RTBF.
Previously, it had often been assumed that minors, when they disappeared from the radar, had simply continued their journey or had tried to join their families in another country. However, the reality is often that these children become victims of exploitation.
Via Brussels Times
