Missing Children Europe
Missing Children Europe The importance of the 116 000 hotlines to ensure a national and European coordinated responses in missing children cases Federica Toscano Project Officer 25 May 2015 - Vilnius Strategy, projects and priorities 1 2 3 4 Missing Children Europe The network of 116 000 hotlines Child Alert Systems Conclusions Co-funded by the European Commission Daphne Programme 1 Missing Children Europe 1.1 Mission, 2014 – 2017 strategy 1.2 Project and Initiatives 1.3 Definitions 1 1.1 Missing Children Europe Mission, 2014 – 2017 strategy > European federation for missing and sexually exploited children > 30 organisations from 24 European countries > Our mission is to prevent, support and protect children from any situation that may lead to or result from them going missing 1 1.1 Missing Children Europe Membership & structure • Full members: 27organisations • Applicant members: 3 organisations • Associate members: 1 private individual 1 1.1 Missing Children Europe Membership & structure 1 1.1 Missing Children Europe Membership & structure • President: Maud de Boer Buquicchio • General Assembly: all full members // annual budget, fees, bylaws, membership applications, … • Board of Directors: elected by the General Assembly • Secretariat: Brussels based team // day to day running of the organisation – assisted by a team of volunteers 1 1.1 Missing Children Europe Mission, 2014 – 2017 strategy 4 strategic pillars of action Quality services & Tools Research & Evidence Awareness & Prevention Policies & Laws 3 thematic priorities > > > Runaways Parental abductions Missing unaccompanied migrant minors 13 specific objectives, incl. Ensure cooperation & quality of services hotlines provided by 116 000 Increase general public awareness on the problem of missing children Support professionals in preventing child disapperance … 1 1.1 Missing Children Europe Membership & structure Building member capacity & sharing best practices 1 1.2 Missing Children Europe Project and Initiatives • Field: missing and sexually exploited children • Focus: • Cross border challeges and opportunities • Building bridges between actors involved and connect the dots between key stakeholders • Examples: Cross Borders Mediators’ Network Notfound.org 1 1.3 Missing Children Europe Definitions RUNAWAYS: Minors who run away from home, from the people responsible for their care or from the institution where they have been placed. INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL ABDUCTIONS: Cases where a child is taken away to, or kept in, a country or place other than that of its normal residence by one or more of his/her parents or persons having parental authority against the other parent’s will or against the will of the person with parental authority. MISSING UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT MINORS Disappearances of migrant children, nationals of a country with which there is no free movement of persons, under the age of 18 who have been separated from both parents and are not being cared for by an adult, who by law is responsible for doing so. 1 1.3 Missing Children Europe Definitions ABDUCTION BY A THIRD PERSON Abductions of minors by anyone other than the parents or persons with parental authority. LOST, INJURED OR OTHERWISE MISSING CHILDREN Disappearances for no apparent reasons of minors who have got lost (e.g. little children at the seaside in summer) or who have been injured and cannot be found immediately (e.g. accidents during sport activities, at youth camps, etc.), as well as children whose reason for disappearing has not yet been determined. 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The need of a unified number for missing children in Europe The state of the 116 000 network Key Data of 2013 Cooperation with Law Enforcement 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.1 The need of a unified number for missing children in Europe The disappearance of two girls in Belgium shows the need of > a number to call everywhere in Europe in cases of a missing child > facilitated cooperation in cross-border cases > coordinated procedure and quality standards 2007: European Commission Decision: MS must reserve the six-digit number 116 for services of social value in the EU. 116 000 was the first telephone number reserved as a hotline to report range starting with missing children 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.1 The need of a unified number for missing children in Europe Missing Children Europe, from promotor of the need of a number becomes the coordinator of a growing network of 116 000 hotlines, focusing on > Support in implementation > Quality standards & cooperation > Joint communication efforts and campaigns > Support with EU funding > Software for case management & data collection > Monitoring and evaluation of services 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.1 The need of a unified number for missing children in Europe 2008/9: > project aiming at facilitating the operational launch of 116 000 hotlines by identifying tecnhical obstacles in cooperation with telecom operators > launch of a communication campaign jointly in 10 countries 2009: > revision of the Universal Services Directive art.27containing the obligation for MS to guarantee access to all European citizens to the 116 000 hotlines, > Missing Children Europe and the operative hotlines create the Practical Guide for Hotline Operators containing Minimum quality standard of service Operational tools (later) 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.1 The need of a unified number for missing children in Europe 2010: > EC Communication “Dial 116 000” > launch of high level annual conferences co-organised by the Commission and Missing Children Europe 2011/14: > development of harmonised 116 000 Client Relationship Management system 2014/16 > development of an Accreditation Mechanism for 116 000 hotlines 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.2 The state of the 116 000 network The number is today operational in 29 European countries 27 EU Member States Albania, Serbia Partially in Ukraine 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.3 Key Data of 2014 > 268.309 Calls (+7,3%) and 6,119 cases (+21%) 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2,3 Key Data of 2014 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.3 Key Data of 2013 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 24 Cooperation with Law Enforcement Why a well-fonctioning network of 116 000 hotlines is very important for a case of child disappearance? -The case of Charlotte (13), Elyse (8) and Lore (6) 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.4 Cooperation with Law Enforcement The 116 000 hotline: What kind of service? > Specialised in legal, administrative, emotional and psychological support to parents and children > Help and follow-up during investigation > Rely on a network of partners to deal with cross-border cases > Provide after-care – in many cases allowing for secondary prevention Complementarity with police’s role The cases of Jules and Helene 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.4 Cooperation with Law Enforcement Support from law enforcement can include measures related to: > Facilitate communication & cooperation: • Regular meetings • Appoint contact person • Timely mutual exchange of data & information > Prevention and awareness raising: • Joint actions • Mutual trainings 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.4 Cooperation with Law Enforcement The Practical Guide for Hotlines Operators contains: 1. Common minimum quality standards in operating 116 000 hotlines Deal with all categories of missing children Take calls from parents and children Provide the service in national languages + English Trained staff, working along clear operational guidelines Provide aftercare Rely on an organised system of information classification and data storage … 2 The network of 116 000 hotlines 2.4 Cooperation with Law Enforcement 2. Cooperation with law enforcement on the basis of a written cooperation protocol is considered a basic requirement > European Model Protocol of Cooperation (example) > Mid-term objective: work on a complementary basis with the Child Alert System, where it exists 3. “Cross-border procedures” Tools Cross-border cooperation template Mailbox 116000@missingchildreneurope.eu 3 Child Alert Systems 3.1 Past work of Missing Children Europe 3.2 Current actions 3 Child Alert Systems 3.1 Past work of Missing Children Europe Missing Children Europe is involved in promoting interconnected Child Alert Systems since 2008 > Declaration of the European Parliament (2008) > Staff Working Document of the European Commission on best practices for launching a cross-border child abduction alert > EU Funding available for Child Alert projects es: LADS.eu (Lutte Anti Disparitions dans l’Union européenne), Child Rescue alert in UK (second round) Importance of balancing the risks faced by the child with his or her right to privacy. 3 Child Alert Systems 3.2 Current actions > Mapping of Existing Child Alert Systems Operational Meeting in Brussels on the 13/05 > Google Child Alert Interconnected Child Alert System with Google Platforms BE, NL, EL, CY, UK 5 …last but not least… Second International Academic Conference on Missing Children and Adults 8th-10th July, 2015 at the University of Brussels - Researchers focusing on any of the above aspects related to the phenomenon of missing - Practioners including experts from Law Enforcement, NGO's including missing children hotlines, social sector, child protection, guardianship services, central authorities, judiciary authorities, housing services for children, central authorities - Policy makers Registrations will open next week. Thank you! > federica.toscano@missingchildreneurope.eu > www.facebook.com/missingchildreneurope > +32 2 894 74 83 > www.twitter.com/missingchildeu > www.missingchildreneurope.eu > www.supportmce.eu
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