As of April 30, 2024, more than 51,000 unaccompanied refugee minors are reported missing across Europe. These minors arrived in Europe between 2021 and 2023 and were under state custody. Authorities have no information regarding their whereabouts.
German Border Police were astonished when, in September 2023, they intercepted a Mercedes transporter with Swedish license plates just beyond the German-Polish border. Behind the wheel was a 15-year-old Syrian boy. In the cargo area were not crates or packages, but 27 Syrian and Yemeni refugees being smuggled into Germany.
The Syrian boy was not unknown in Germany. He had spent two years as a refugee in a youth facility in Thuringia. He arrived in Germany at the age of 13 without parents or relatives.
After registering at initial reception centers, such unaccompanied minors are distributed nationwide and placed in accommodation by youth welfare offices. There, caregivers are supposed to look after them. However, something often goes wrong, and the children and adolescents disappear from the facilities, often completely evading authorities’ radar, not only nationally but also across Europe.
Rising Numbers and Data Deficiencies
Currently, 51,433 refugee minors are missing throughout Europe, according to an exclusive data investigation by the European journalist network “Lost in Europe,” which includes contributions from Belgian, Dutch, Italian, and German media outlets. Just three years ago, this number was approximately 18,300. Germany alone has seen a significant increase during this period, from 724 in 2021 to 2,005 today.
However, the investigation reveals significant deficiencies in data collection on missing refugee minors. Only 15 out of 31 European countries responded to inquiries from the research network. While some countries like Italy and Austria report particularly drastic figures, with each having more than 20,000 missing children and adolescents, others, such as Spain or Greece, do not collect any information about unaccompanied minors.
EU Commission’s Response and Proposed Solutions
There are currently no EU-wide regulations for registering and exchanging information on the fate of unaccompanied refugee minors. The EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, acknowledges the broken migration system in Europe but cannot confirm the reported figures due to the lack of comprehensive data.
When refugee minors disappear from authorities’ custody, they must be reported missing. Some resurface after a few days in different cities or municipalities. According to experts in Germany, many leave their facilities due to dissatisfaction with the lengthy process, seeking faster assistance in other countries or intending to join relatives or friends in other European countries.
The proposed unified registration system aims to address this issue by improving conditions and facilitating the assignment of contacts and guardians for unaccompanied refugee minors. However, only a fraction of the planned legal requirements has been adopted so far, with the final vote scheduled for May. Afterward, member states must transpose the new requirements into national law.
While progress is slow, EU Commissioner Johansson asserts that all 27 states have committed to implementing the new regulations. Legal action against non-compliant countries remains an option, albeit one that takes years to conclude.
This report is adapted from the text of Tagesschau report. Tagesschau, produced by ARD-aktuell in Hamburg, Germany, is a prominent news program airing multiple times daily on various channels.
