Children on the run from public care settings in Europe

1. Children on the run from public care settings in Europe Dr. Maria Herczog Ph.D. Member of the UN CRC Committee Geneva, 1 November 2011

3. Knowledge base, awareness • Limited attention and information on the topic: warning signals, symptoms – root causes should be investigated • Recommendations, guidelines, indicators providing indirect protection: child-rights based, prevention, gate-keeping, planned placement, care and relationships, family rehabilitation and/or preparation for leaving care

4. UN General Assembly Guidelines on children in care (November 2009) – comprehensive directives on high quality prevention, care and after-care – no mention of the issue of runaways • Council of Europe recommendations, investigations, surveys, programs – no mention of the issue of runaways • The rights of the children at risk and in care (Council of Europe, 2007) – no mention of the issue of runaways • Quality4Children standards and warning signs – no mention of runaways • Children in Care indicators (UNICEF - Better Care Network, 2005) – no mention of runaways • Children without parental care (EUROCHILD members’ survey, 2009) – no question and mention on runaways International documents

5. Adatok I. Data from Hungary

6. Adatok II. Data from Hungary

7. Missing Children Europe • The first hours after the disappearance of a child are of vital importance • Most children go home from the care system but many end up on the street • Many are leaving for the weekends, go to discos, meet friends • Many of them do not have money, are easy targets • Many of them are later trafficked, exploited, end up in a different country

8. Missing Children Europe • The European telephone number – 116 000 - gives access to the local, national organisations, specialised in missing children or have experts to provide help • 16 countries have joined so far in the EU –www.hotline116000.eu • In 2009, Missing Children Europe launched a European campaign to raise public awareness of the 116 000 in the framework of a European project entitled "Implementation and communication of 116 000: the European telephone number for missing children".

9. Missing Children Europe • Practical guide for hotline operators has been developed • common minimum quality standards to harmonise the service delivery throughout the European Union, in order for parents, professionals and children to rely on the same quality and on the same help; • cross-border procedures to enhance the cooperation among the NGOs running the 116 000 service, in order for cases with a cross-border nature to be dealt with in a more efficient and effective manner.

10. An EU Agenda for the Rights of the Child “Children may go missing regardless of their age, gender or social status. There is little knowledge about the reasons why children run away from home or from institutions in which they live, but we do know that the risks are enormous: risks to their safety, mental and physical health, well-being and life. Missing children can suffer violence and abuse; they can be trafficked or exposed to begging and prostitution.” , 15 February, 2011http://ec.europa.eu/justice/policies/children/docs/com_2011_60_en.pdf