Drawing on information from multiple actors, including the Guardianship Service, Fedasil, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS), youth assistance services, Child Focus, Esperanto, Meza and the three specialised reception centres (Sürya, Payoke, and PAG-ASA), the report highlights both available data and the challenges faced in collection. Fragmentation, differing definitions, and limited harmonisation between organisations continue to constrain a full understanding of the scope and nature of these phenomena.

Myria’s analysis shows that between 2015 and 2024, 43.257 unaccompanied minors (UAM) were reported for the first time to the Guardianship Service, while between 2021 and 2024 the Service recorded an average of 758 missing UAM per year, around 15 % of whom were considered at risk. Reports also reveal concerning patterns of sexual exploitation: between 2022 and 2024, more than half of the 228 cases of “sexual exploitation of minors in prostitution” involved young people who were staying in youth assistance facilities at the time. The mapping further details the support provided: Esperanto accommodated 225 young people, 63 % of whom were presumed victims of trafficking or aggravated smuggling; Meza hosted 35 victims; and the three specialised centres (Sürya, Payoke, and PAG-ASA) together supported 110 minor victims, the majority (68 %) of whom were victims of human trafficking.

Myria calls for stronger data collection and policy responses. On the data side, it recommends reviewing and improving registration systems, creating interoperable databases with uniform terminology, providing regular staff training, and increasing access to anonymised individual-level data. On the policy side, it encourages better information exchange among magistrates, greater awareness among police, prosecutors, youth aid services, and asylum and migration actors, and expanding reception capacity for minor victims, including unaccompanied minors and those at heightened risk of exploitation.

For further information, please read the press release from Myria (in French or in Dutch) and read the full reports below (in French or in Dutch).