Authorities deal with 17.000 missing children case every year

The number of missing children increases year by year: in 2014 almost 17.000 cases were registered. Most of the children are soon found, but one hundred children disappear every year for good, writes hvg.hu.

More and more children go missing every year: the number of registered cases was 11.000 in 2010, and it rose to almost 17.000 in 2014; however, it does not mean that 17.000 children are physically missing and are wandering around in the country. Borbála Csekeő, director of the Kék Vonal Child Crisis Foundation (Kék Vonal Gyermekkrízis Alapítvány), said that this number does not refer to individuals, as a great number of children run away multiple times a year, especially from children’s homes. The police confirmed Csekeő’s statement and added that the number of registered cases is high because of those who leave their home without permit, or do not return by the appointed time.

Most of the missing children are registered in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Hajdú-Bihar, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, and Pest counties, and their number is especially high in Budapest. One of the most important risk factors is the children’s social-economic background (the family’s financial situation, and the family members’ level of education), and to what extend they can be influenced. In most cases the escape is just a symptom, and cannot be evaluated on its own, Szilvia Gyurkó, children’s rights expert told HVG.

Children usually run away to show that they are in an uncomfortable situation. Their escape is a sign that something is wrong within the family or in the closer environment, and it should be changed, said Csekeő. Most children do not disappear after one argument, but their decision is the outcome of a series of undesirable events. They decide to run away when they feel unwanted or neglected, and do not get the desired attention, but it’s very rare that a child disappears after just one argument.

According to the police every third missing child is recovered one day after they are reported missing, 30% is found within one week, and 35% is found within one month. Authorities say that they know the whereabouts of the remaining children as well, but tracing them is difficult because they are abroad, they are in hiding, or they are staying in Hungary under a refugee status. Ninety per cent of the children who run away from their families (and not from children’s homes) are found 1-2 days after their case is reported, which is a relatively good rate, but there are more than 100 cases every year when the children cannot be found.