At its General Assembly on June 15th –16th Missing Children Europe’s members elected Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, former European Parliament Coordinator on Children’s Rights and Mediator for Children Victims of Parental Abductions, as new President of the organisation.

 

I am very proud and glad to serve such a unique, child-centred network of grassroots NGO’s from across Europe who work locally, daily, to protect and empower the most vulnerable – missing children. The 116000 hotlines which Missing Children Europe coordinates provide concrete and direct support to children and their families, 24/7, and have been crucial to finding missing children from Ukraine. I look forward to building on the incredible achievements of the past 20 years which made them European leaders in child protection.

– Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, President of Missing Children Europe

 

After several years of field work in the Balkans for the United Nations and the European Commission, Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, who is also an experienced entrepreneur, was elected Member of the European Parliament in 2009 and 2014. She served on the Committees on Civil Liberties and Migration, on Internal Market and Consumer Protection, and on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. She co-founded and co-chaired the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights and was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBTI+ Rights.

Today, Ms. Corazza Bildt takes over the helm from Maud de Boer-Buquicchio who served Missing Children Europe for the past nine years. Members paid tribute to Ms. de Boer-Buquicchio for her dedication and strategic leadership, placing children and their best interests at the heart of Missing Children Europe’s work by focussing it on four pillars: promoting mediation in parental child abductions, giving voice to unaccompanied migrant children, investigating what drives children to “run away”, and facilitating cross border cooperation and case support. Ms. de Boer-Buquicchio will remain close to Missing Children Europe as member of the Patrons’ Council.

Note to editors

Missing Children Europe is the European federation for missing and sexually exploited children, representing 31 organisations from 26 European countries, and growing. We provide the link between research, policies, and organisations on the ground to protect children from any kind of violence, abuse or neglect that is caused by or results from them going missing.

Contact: Jagoda Luto, Membership and Communications Officer, jagoda.luto@missingchildreneurope.eu