Child Focus, the Belgian organisation for missing and exploited children, has released disturbing figures with regard to the number of child asylum seekers in Belgium that disappear. Child Focus says that already this year the number of minors seeking asylum that have disappeared is larger than the figure for the entirety of last year. The organisation has opened 244 dossiers in comparison with 136 last year. Often vulnerable African boys, aged 15 to 17, are involved.
Tijana Popovic: “A number of youngsters arrive here without having applied for asylum and without a reception place. They end up in reception centres but quickly disappear. Others do remain and start the asylum process, but soon notice there is little chance they can remain in Belgium and decide to move on to another country”.
“We need to invest in prevention. Together with the asylum secretary Child Focus has drawn up a scenario. We also need to invest in European co-operation”