The crisis of missing children in Western countries

May 25 has been designated as International Missing Children’s Day, aimed at supporting missing children who may face threats, sexual abuse, harassment, or human trafficking.

What is International Missing Children’s Day?

International Missing Children’s Day is a global occasion dedicated to raising awareness about missing children and efforts to find them, focusing on their dire situation worldwide.

It serves as a reminder of the ongoing issue of child abductions and disappearances, as well as a time to honor children who remain missing and support their families in their search for answers.

The choice of May 25 commemorates the disappearance of Ethan Patz, a six-year-old Italian boy in New York in 1979, whose case drew significant attention to the issue of missing children. Under international pressure, the U.S. declared Missing Children’s Day a national observance in 1983, which later became an international event (IMCD) in 2001.

Growing challenges in ensuring child safety

As digital technologies and trends obscure the landscape of child safety, statistics on harmed children are rising. Behind each number is a child, and the issue becomes even more alarming as the production of AI-generated content continues to surge. In 2024 alone, CyberTipline reports involving generative AI technology (GAI) increased by 1,325%.

Child sexual extortion is also on the rise, with a significant increase in reports of online enticement in 2024. The situation in Western countries claiming to champion children’s rights is critical: in the U.S., since 2021, at least 36 teenage boys have lost their lives due to being victims of sexual extortion, and reports of child sex trafficking have also risen.

In Australia, police receive 50,000 missing person reports annually, nearly half of which involve teenagers aged 13 to 17. Approximately 2,700 long-term missing cases exist in Australia, with around 132 new cases added to the long-term missing list in 2024.

The crisis of missing children stems from various causes, encompassing a wide range of issues. Abuse, domestic violence, family breakdown, loneliness, poor mental health, and poverty are recurring factors in missing children cases.

Anti-immigration laws, particularly in European countries, also contribute to these cases. Criminal exploitation and sexual exploitation are likely scenarios these children may face if they survive.

Western countries’ neglect of the missing children crisis

While Western countries advocate for child protection and rights, thousands of children go missing annually in these nations. According to statistics, 250,000 children are listed as missing across Europe each year.

The Secretary-General of Missing Children Europe stated, “This figure reflects the individual stories of children escaping abuse, caught in family breakdowns, or falling victim to criminal networks.”

In summary:

In Australia, approximately 20,000 children are reported missing annually.

In Canada, about 42,288 children go missing each year.

In Germany, around 100,000 children are reported missing annually.

In Spain, 20,000 children go missing each year.

In the UK, 112,800 children are reported missing annually.

In the U.S., 460,000 children go missing each year.

Missing children in Gaza

The growing crisis of missing children is a glaring weakness in the West’s claims of supporting children. Since the definition of missing children lacks global consensus, the story of missing children in Gaza differs from the conventional understanding.

Children in Gaza are buried under rubble and go missing; they are martyred and reduced to numbers; they go hungry, suffer famine, and remain unseen; their hands and feet are lost under debris from bombings. The killing and massacre of innocent children in Gaza, excluded from the global list of missing children, has become a pastime for Zionist soldiers.

Of the over 53,000 martyrs in Gaza since the onset of the Israeli regime’s war in October 2023 (Mehr 1402), more than 18,000 are children. Experts consider this figure an underestimate due to Gaza’s challenging conditions for accurate data collection, and it does not account for secondary child deaths caused by malnutrition and disease.