Raul, the 9-year-old Romanian Roma boy, who was found dead last week, had been living in Ghent with his family for more than a year. And yet he could stay missing for months without anyone noticing. How is such a thing possible? "You can't intervene if the family is not on the radar" says researcher Pascal Debruyne.
Missing child now found dead stayed under the radar for months in Ghent
Colin Clapson
Published:
Updated:
Raul was killed in January, but his death was only discovered last week. The boy’s stepfather, who is suspected of abusing and killing him has been detained in the Netherlands. He and Raul’s mum are also suspected of placing the boy’s body in a sports bag weighted down by stones and of throwing it into the dock.
Late last week, the body of Raul, a 9-year-old boy, was found in the Hout Dock in Ghent. His body was discovered in the water not far from the studio apartment where his family lived. The boy, a child of Romanian Roma people, had been missing for months, but no one had apparently noticed his disappearance.
That is until family members raised the alarm after disturbing conversations with his mother. Following a suggestion from the boy's 11-year-old sister, the body was eventually found in the water, in a sports bag weighted down with stones.
The sister is currently staying with relatives in Germany. The mother was arrested and is now in prison in Ghent. The mother's ex-boyfriend (34) no longer lives in Ghent, but was detained near the Dutch city of Eindhoven this weekend.
It is a question many people are asking after the story about Raul, the 9-year-old child fished out of the Hout Dock last week, became public knowledge: how could his disappearance have stayed under the radar for so long? It wasn't noticed by Ghent city council or at the school the boy briefly attended. Public prosecutors and police are staying mum for now.
Pascal Debruyne, researcher at the Odisee college's family sciences knowledge centre, calls the incident "unfortunately explainable". "Romanian Roma are European Union citizens," he explains. "These people have the right to circulate freely in Europe. After staying somewhere for 3 months you usually register, but this family did not. So basically they remained under the radar, which means they didn't get in touch with city services or other bodies."
However, Raul had indeed gone to school in Ghent for a few months. "We have to wait for the outcome of the investigation," says Debruyne. "Children of unregistered people have the right to attend school until they are 18. If there are no worrying signs at school, nobody takes action. The school just tries to provide follow up for that child just like for any other."
If the school is notified that the family is leaving the country, there is little it can do, Debruyne stresses. "They are not to blame, because the family deregisters. Then it is not up to the school to check whether they have actually left the territory. In that respect, it is difficult to point the finger at anyone who could have acted in a better way."
And what about the city of Ghent? "Ghent has a considerable number of neighbourhood stewards," Debruyne explains. "They really are experts; but then again: if there are no worrying signs, there is no follow-up. Families can operate perfectly well under the radar and build a life for themselves. Only when they have greater security with regard to their situation - and can build up rights - will they register. You cannot intervene if the family is not on the radar."
Still, you do have to wonder if there isn't a better way to act in future, he admits. "We know that these groups are more on the move. I do think it would be an idea, if someone leaves the territory, to create some kind of follow-up in future."