A temporary statue of a young boy playing hide-and-seek has been placed in Brussels to represent the large number of refugee children who have disappeared in Europe.
Between 2018 and 2020, at least 18,292 unaccompanied children on the run went missing on the continent, amounting to almost 17 children a day, figures from the journalistic research project 'Lost in Europe' showed.
The temporary statue of a child named Issam symbolically playing hide-and-seek with his missing friends will be on display until Sunday just by Place du Luxembourg in Brussels, just ahead of International Children's Rights Day on Sunday.
With this action, Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen and Caritas International are sounding the alarm that these children are especially vulnerable to ending up in dangerous situations due to their uncertain residency status and limited access to care and shelter.
While some may have travelled to family or friends in Europe without reporting it, many are feared to have fallen into the hands of drug gangs, who abuse their situation, are forced into begging for others, or are sold into sexual exploitation. "These children, too, deserve care and a safe haven so they can be and remain children," the organisers said.
Reception crisis exacerbates situation
Belgium's current reception country has once again painfully exposed this reality. Since mid-October 2022, more than 100 minors — including babies, toddlers and infants — have also been sleeping rough, either with their families or alone. While this group was originally prioritised when it came to providing shelter, the complete saturation of the system means they too have to fend for themselves.
"This is not only inhumane and child-unworthy, but above all, it compromises the safety of these children," said Tine Claus, director of Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen. "Precisely the safety and care that these minors so desperately need."
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One policy officer at the NGO, Thomas Willekens, already warned weeks ago that minors were disappearing under the radar, especially as very few official figures are released about precisely how many minors are not receiving shelter.
"It is very important for civil organisations that we can keep track of how many children do and do not receive shelter, because now we are groping in the dark and can't provide the help that is vital for people of this age group," Willekens noted.
The NGO has therefore linked this action to the ongoing petition calling on the government to take its responsibility and provide appropriate shelter and care.
