DATA MISSING

FAQs

Call the hotline if you are a:

child who is missing from home / care or a child who is thinking of leaving home / care
parent or carer of a missing child
child, young person, or adult who has information about a missing child

Make a report to the police if you know of a child who has gone missing. This can be done by anybody, not just the parents or carers. You may also call the 116 000 hotline for support, advice, and to share valuable information about a missing child.

Who answers the calls?

Professionally trained Hotline Operators.

Does the 116 000 hotline work in my country?

The 116 000 number works in 32 countries in Europe. You can find the list of countries here.

The 116 000 hotline is not available in my country, who can I contact instead?

Always contact your national police to report a missing child or to share information relating to a missing child.

Other national hotlines or children’s organisations are available in your country, you can find this online.

Who can call the 116 000 hotline?

Everyone. Children, young people, parents or carers, families, and third party adults.

If you know about a missing child or if you know of a child at risk of going missing, the 116 000 hotline will be able to support you.

What information am I required to give when I call the 116 000 hotline?

You will be asked for details related to the missing child and their circumstances.

The more information provided the more help this will be for the protection of the child.

Do I have to share my details, I want to remain anonymous?

No, you do not have to share your details. Only share your details should you wish to.

Developing comprehensive and sustainable reporting, data collection and statistical mechanisms on missing children, as a consequence of and risk factor for violence, in the 27 EU Member States.

By focusing on improving data collection of missing children the project will identify the most efficient way to improve understanding on drivers and consequences of children going missing, including the link to prevent and combat all forms. There will be a particular focus 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).

DATA MISSING will provide basis to ameliorate policies, legislations and practices to support children at risk of going missing across all fields, such law enforcement and child protection. In this way, the project will also strengthen responses that prevent and support child victims of violence by reinforcing child protection systems at national and local level. By supporting national data collection on violence against children, Missing Children Europe will have disaggregated data to respond to the needs of children going missing from vulnerable situations and at higher risk of discrimination and violence.

Project Activities

The project will work towards this goal by:

Contributing to robust, comprehensive, disaggregated (e.g. gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc), and comparable data on missing children.
Developing recommendations on comprehensive and comparable reporting mechanisms and data sets on missing children based on an in-depth gap analysis with a focus on children in vulnerable situations, facing discrimination and at higher risk of violence, and disseminating research findings.
Interviewing frontline workers and pratitioners and piloting in targeted 116 000 hotlines an efficient reporting and data collection methodology on missing children, and advocating at national level on policy proposals.
Increasing the capacity of national authorities to report and collect data on missing children, through workshops and capacity building events.
Establishing a Research Consortium and a Technical Advisory Board with experts representing various sectors that encounter missing children’s issues.
Developing pan-European guidance and Standard Operating Procedures on reporting and data collection mechanisms on missing children.
Enhancing affected population’s participation by conducting focused group discussions and interviews with young people between 18 to 24 years old with experience in going missing during their childhood.
Understanding the gaps in the social and child protection systems through the analysis of the factors that drive children going missing.
Promoting changes in the EU and national data collection systems on missing children by understanding the drivers and consequences of children going missing and thus ensuring policy, practice and services adequately protect, prevent and respond to all children (at risk of) going missing.

Resources

Contact person

Efthymis Antonopoulos

Senior Research Officer and Project Lead for DATA MISSING

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).