Missing Children Europe at the 15th European Forum on the Rights of the Child

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.

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.

Advancing children’s rights, protection, and participation across Europe

This week, Missing Children Europe was honoured to take part in two important sessions at the 15th European Forum on the Rights of the Child that took place on 23 and 24 June. The Forum is a vital platform for dialogue between EU institutions, civil society organisations, children and young people, ensuring their voices are central to EU policymaking. This year’s event focused on “Championing Children’s Rights: Building Fair and Resilient Societies for the EU’s Present and Future” and presented how the EU priorities on children’s rights are making a stronger and resilient EU society, across generations, now and for future generations.

On the first day of the forum, Aagje Ieven, Secretary-General of Missing Children Europe, spoke in her capacity as Co-Chair of the Child Rights Action Group (CRAG). Building on the General Assembly of the EU Children’s Participation Platform, children and young people from across Europe presented compelling recommendations on a range of pressing issues, including mental health in schools, climate change, online safety, intergenerational fairness, and hate speech.

While the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the EU Child Guarantee represent meaningful progress, the challenges children continue to face remain deeply concerning. This was the key message Aagje Ieven highlighted during her intervention, as she emphasized three urgent priorities for the EU: the need to integrate and protect children’s rights across all EU policies, to break the cycle of child poverty and inequality, and to ensure meaningful and inclusive child participation in decision-making processes – urging the EU to fulfill its commitments.

Recognising the importance of listening to children and involving them in shaping the strategies designed for them, Missing Children Europe established a Youth Board in September 2024 to ensure their voices are included in both EU and civil society initiatives.

Elevating youth voices: Lisa-Marie Schaumburg represents our Youth Board

On Tuesday, Missing Children Europe was proud to be represented by Lisa-Marie Schaumburg, member of our Youth Board, who spoke during a session focused on “Advancing child protection for safer and more resilient societies.”

During this interactive exchange with Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport and Mariam, a young advocate from SOS Children’s Villages Spain , Lisa-Marie shared her personal experience and addressed the urgent need for more integrated and child-centred protection systems. She stressed the importance of ensuring that children feel safe to report abuse and called for systems that respond effectively and respectfully to children’s needs.

She reminded the audience that creating a safe space for dialogue is key to shaping children’s development and recovery from violence : “We should never normalise a child experiencing or being exposed to violence in conversations with them, even if it is inconvenient or uncomfortable. Children just need to receive information in a way that makes sense to them. We need to always keep in mind that the mere act of including a child in a conversation and talking to them in the right way can change their entire developmental trajectory”.

Missing Children Europe is proud to play a key role in such important forums for children’s rights and to see our Youth Board members leading the way in shaping conversations and advocating for systemic change.

To learn more about the work we do, we invite you to explore our latest resources: