In 2023, the Belgian Special Parliamentary Committee on trafficking and smuggling of human beings called for improved statistics on minors, including reporting, support, and reception measures. Myria was specifically invited to include an annual supplement on minor victims in its yearly report. This publication represents the first mapping of quantitative data on this topic, aiming to offer policymakers and practitioners a comprehensive overview of the situation.

The mapping draws on data from multiple actors, including the Guardianship Service, Fedasil, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRA), the General Administration for Youth Assistance, Child Focus, Esperanto, Meza, Minor-Ndako, and the three specialised reception centres (Sürya, Payoke, and PAG-ASA). Data collection faces challenges due to fragmentation, differing definitions, and limited harmonisation across organisations.

Key figures identified in the report include data covering various periods between 2015 and 2024, as well as more recent trends:

• 2015–2024: 43.257 unaccompanied minors (UAM) were reported for the first time to the Guardianship Service.
   
• 2021–2024: The Guardianship Service recorded an average of 758 missing UAM per year, around 15 % of whom were considered at risk.
   
• 2022–2024: Child Focus received 144 reports of missing UAM considered at risk.
   
• 2022–2024: More than half (125; 55 %) of the 228 reports of “sexual exploitation of minors in prostitution” received by Child Focus involved young people who were staying in youth assistance facilities at the time of exploitation.
   
• 2015–2024: Esperanto, the specialised centre in Wallonia for minor victims of human trafficking, aggravated human smuggling, and honour-based violence, accommodated 225 young people, 142 (63 %) of whom were presumed victims of trafficking and/or smuggling with aggravating circumstances.
   
• 2022–2024: Meza, focusing primarily on unaccompanied minor girls aged 14–18 presumed to be victims of human trafficking, hosted 35 victims of trafficking and/or smuggling.
   
• 2015–2024: The three specialised reception centres for victims of trafficking in human beings together supported 110 minor victims, the majority (68 %) of whom were victims of human trafficking.

In its report, Myria sets out recommendations to strengthen both data collection and policy responses concerning minor victims of trafficking and aggravated smuggling. On the data side, the Centre calls for a review and potential redevelopment of existing registration systems, the creation of interoperable databases with uniform terminology, periodic training for staff, and greater access to anonymised individual-level data. Myria also recommends deeper analysis of MyEldo data to better understand trends. On the policy side, it encourages enhanced information exchange among magistrates, increased awareness among police, prosecutors, youth aid services, and the asylum and migration sectors to ensure that all presumed minor victims are detected and referred to specialised centres, and the expansion of reception capacity for minor victims, including unaccompanied minors and those at heightened risk of exploitation.

For further information, please read the report in French or in Dutch below.