Both the police and the prosecutor’s office already complete a number of investigative steps before alerting the press about a missing person. Police officers stay in contact with relatives and open the investigation, with evidence later being shared and discussed with the prosecution.
Henri Eippers, spokesman of the judicial administration, provided insight into this process: “The first thing that has to be established is whether we are looking for an adult or a minor. Latter cases are almost automatically considered ‘concerning disappearances’.
“However, that still does not mean that every disappearance of a minor is made public. That depends on a number of factors, once it is urgent an alert is sent to the press with a photo. Naturally, that has to be approved by the office for youth protection.”
596 missing person alerts were issued in 2020, 675 in 2019. The majority of those concerned minors. 2021 saw a slight increase with 724 alerts, out of which 490 concerned minors.
According to Eippers, the numbers show nothing out of the ordinary: “The statistics are stable from my point of view. The increase may have been caused by demographic factors, but it seems clear that we hear more about them thanks to the internet and social media.”
Some youths who run away from home seek shelter at the Pétrusse House, a refuge for people aged twelve to 21 that was established in 2011.
Pol Thome works at the shelter as a social worker and explained that the reasons for running away can be manifold: “It can be an individual cause or a problem within the family that makes a young person feel uncomfortable at home or go through a crisis. Violence, negligence, and adolescence are all contributing factors.”
Young people arriving at the Pétrusse House are often back home after a couple of days.
However, there are also exceptions, conveyed Eippers: “I can remember three distinct individuals, out of whom two disappeared abroad and still have not been found. Then there was a baby that nobody managed to find, even after an extensive search.”
In 2016, authorities launched the Amber Alert initiative, which the prosecutor’s office is able to issue when there is suspicion that the life of a missing child is in danger. So far, this type of alarm has only been declared once. In 2018, authorities used it to locate a 7-year-old boy who had been abducted by his father. Luckily, police were able to find the child before any harm was done.
