Child Focus reports a worrying increase in the number of disappearances of very vulnerable unaccompanied minors in Belgium. According to the organisation, this concerns for example "children under the age of 13, or children who lack the necessary self-reliance or whose lives are in danger.”

The total number of disappearances is even higher because not all files end up at Child Focus. In 2022, Fedasil registered 297 disappearances of minors from the observation and orientation centers (first reception phase).

The increase in the number of disappearances can first of all be explained by the fact that more minors came to Belgium. But Child Focus notes as well that “more young people are disappearing in the second phase of reception, especially from the collective asylum centers. They lingered on the procedure for too long and saw no prospects”.

Minors who disappear are at risk of abuse and exploitation. In order to avoid this, Child Focus underlines that professional guardians have to be appointed quickly to build a relationship of trust.

In May 2023, the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, the Minister of Interior Annelies Verlinden, Fedasil, Child Focus, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, and the Guardianship Service presented together a guide aimed at preventing and resolving the disappearance of unaccompanied foreign minors.

For further information, please read the following press release (in Dutch).