The phenomenon of missing children is taking on worrying proportions in Italy. According to Italian media, the Telefono Azzurro organization presented an alarming dossier on the situation in the neighboring country during the "Invisible Children" conference, with alarming data.
According to the report, during the first half of 2024, 11,694 cases of missing persons were registered in Italy, of which 69.6% were minors, representing 8,143 cases. On average, this means 64 reports per day.
The majority of cases reported in Italy involved adolescents aged 16-17, who account for over 70% of all missing minors. Also, 58.1% of the cases detected belong to girls. In terms of age groups, 12.9% of cases were children aged 0-10, while 16.7% belonged to the 11-14 age group.
In terms of nationality, 56.9% of reports were Italian citizens, while 41.67% were children of foreign nationality. Among the most common reasons reported were running away from home (36.5%), fleeing the community or institution (12.5%), unspecified disappearances (12.5%) and leaving reception centres (7.3%).
According to the president of Telefono Azzurro, Ernesto Caffo, many of these children are unaccompanied and at risk of falling prey to trafficking, abuse or exploitation.
He also emphasizes the negative impact that social pressure and digital media have on the psychological state of adolescents, adding cases of escapes driven by family problems or destabilizing digital content.
Even at an international level, the situation is worrying. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US handled about 30,000 missing child cases in 2024, managing to solve 91% of them. (A2 Televizion)
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