Every year an estimated two hundred and fifty thousand children slip through the net of Europe’s child protection systems and disappear. In order to adequately respond to the challenges faced by children (at risk of) going missing, in particular the risks of them being subject to violence, it is essential to have robust data collection and reporting mechanisms in place on missing children.
The DATA MISSING project is the first project that pilots a new methodology, develops practical guidance and does capacity building in the form of workshops on the topic of data collection for missing children. It is also the first project that takes a comprehensive approach to missing children, by focusing in particular on children in vulnerable situations, facing discrimination and at higher risk of violence (e.g. gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, children in institutions, etc).
Methodology
Through quantitative and qualitative research, this project aims to provide an overview of existing data on missing children for the 27 EU Member States, to identify gaps in the data collection systems and to develop recommendations to advocate for better, disaggregated, and comparable data collection mechanisms across Europe. Building upon the research, a new data collection mechanism focused on vulnerabilities, will be piloted in the 116000 hotlines in Belgium, Cyprus and Lithuania.
Project Outcomes
The DATA MISSING project is the first that provides such a comprehensive overview of how data concerning missing children is collected within member states, while identifying gaps in and inconsistencies between those systems. By developing recommendations on improved data collection mechanisms and an EU guidance for hotlines, the DATA MISSING project benefits all 116 000 hotlines and EU Member States, and ultimately pave the way for better prevention and response to missing children cases.
One of the key gaps identified is the lack of standardised definitions and data collection practices concerning missing children within and between national systems, hotlines, police, and NGOs across Europe. This makes it challenging to truly understand how widespread this problem is, and to effectively prevent children from going missing. In response to this, the DATA MISSING project is calling for the establishment of harmonised data collection practices around missing children across all EU member states. More specifically, they stress the need for annual, comparable statistics on the number of children reported missing, which would serve as a foundation for better policymaking and prevention strategies.
Data Missing Final Conference
Momentum for the establishment of such practices was palpable during the Data Missing Final conference organised by Missing Children Europe in June 2025, joined by thought leaders and frontline workers across civil society, police, and EU Commission officials. The DATA MISSING conference not only presented the results of the research but also issued a formal challenge to EU institutions, national governments, and child protection stakeholders – Europe must support Member States to invest in sustainable data systems and standardised indicators to prevent, respond to, and reduce the number of children who go missing.
Resources
Partners
The action is funded by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST), under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Value Programme (CERV).
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