The INTERACT project used simulations of cases of missing children in migration in need of protection to test practices and procedures for multi-agency collaboration at national and cross-border level.

Facts about the topic

Too often, cases concerning children in migration are missing or are not followed up. They are given low to no priority from authorities and law enforcement. In many cases, this happens either because information available on the child and the case is very limited, authorities are not trained to respond appropriately or because the disappearance is simply not reported. Several missing children in migration are believed to be victims of (re-trafficking).

Europol raise concerns that traffickers are increasingly targeting children in migration, especially if they are unaccompanied in the future. In the United Kingdom, 1 in 4 trafficked children and 1 in 6 unaccompanied children placed in care are reported missing and in Italy unaccompanied children as young as 13 have been identified as child victims recruited into sexual exploitation and child labour.


Results

90 professionals from 6 European countries worked together on two fictionalized disappearance cases based on the stories of real children. Real time judgments were used to identify gaps in knowledge.

In 2019 two publications were issued – A practical guidance on preventing and responding to trafficking and disappearances of children in migration. It is available in five languages and The INTERACT Report regards multi-agency practical simulations on fictional cases in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden.


Resources

Practical guidance on preventing and responding to trafficking and disappearances of children in migration

Language version:

EN – Download

FR – Download

NL – Download

GR – Download

IT – Download


Report on multi-agency practical simulations on fictional cases in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden – Download


Contact person

Efthymis Antonopoulos
Senior Research Officer

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