A phenomenon that is unfortunately ever-present, yet never discussed enough. Every year thousands of adults and children go missing in Italy. Some are fortunately found, others disappear again periodically, and still others are lost without a trace forever.
The 2023 Data
From the XXX report of the Special Government Commissioner's office for missing persons unfortunately emerges an increase in the phenomenon, with 29,315 reports of missing persons, compared to 24,369 in 2022. In Italy, therefore, approximately 80 people go missing every day.
Over the past year, only 14,159 were found.
The most chilling fact, unfortunately, is that almost 75% of missing person cases involved minors.
International Missing Children's Day
May 25 of each year is dedicated to raising awareness on this issue, and the data shows that much work still needs to be done to prevent so many minors from disappearing, sometimes without leaving a trace. On International Missing Children's Day, we help spread awareness of this phenomenon and the hope of ensuring a better future for countless children and adolescents who cannot and must not be forgotten.
In Case of Emergency
Here are the contacts and phone numbers to keep in mind for any needs:
- 112: single emergency number.
- 116000: European hotline for missing children, managed in Italy by Telefono Azzurro and in Europe by Missing Children Europe.
- 114: SOS childhood emergency.
