A month before the publication of his report 2023 on the disappearances of minors in France, the 116 000 Missing Children reveals a inquiry. Conducted at the end of 2023 by the institute Cluster17, it sheds new light on the perception of the disappearances of children in France. Widely underestimated in their scope and often misinterpreted these last seem to involve a significant number of French : 10% say they have been confronted with the disappearance of their child or that of a loved one.

A phenomenon that is largely under-estimated and misunderstood

In 2022, 43 202 reports of disappearances of minors have been made in France with police and gendarmes, according to figures released by the 116 000 Missing Children. A number of reports, unfortunately, stable year-to-year, and yet largely under-estimated by the French : in fact, nearly 81% of respondents believe that there would be less than 20,000 per year.

A significant gap that can be explained in particular by the legitimate concern given to the most unsettling, widely publicized in the media, but only a minority of the disappearances occurring each year. In fact, they cover a range of situations disparate (fugues, parental child abduction, disappearances disturbing) to the contours often a blur for the French. Thus, 57% of them believe ' as a young girl fleeing a home where it is located ' should not be considered as missing. A statement yet false in the eyes of the law : every child has left his or her place of habitual residence, without the consent of the persons in charge of watching over him, is the subject of a disappearance. In its report 2022 on the disappearances of minors in France, the 116 000 Missing Children relavait 2 fugues on 10 followed by listening were carried out since the places of placement.

This lack of knowledge also applies to conditions that are required to make a report. Although no concept of time or age does not intervene officially in the definition of the disappearances of minors, nearly 28% of the French believe, however, that a young person must have left the home for at least 2 days to be considered running away. An idea to potentially regrettable and no real connection with the French legal framework : the disappearance of a child shall be reported as soon as it is identified.

The consequences of running away, they also seem to be largely under-estimated : more than a French one in four believes that a minor fugue is 'a little' or 'not really' in danger. Minimization of risk, regularly pointing the finger at those professionals who insist that the fugue is considered as a space of danger. During the process, the young people expose themselves to many risks, among which the delinquency, addiction, or sexual exploitation. Today, this type of disappearance regarding 96% of the reports made in France.

10% of French people directly affected by a disappearance of a minor

Learning major of the survey : 10% of the French say that they or their loved ones have already been confronted with the disappearance of a child. Although these cases are of a nature and duration which are very different, this figure raises questions on the extent of the phenomenon and the ability to react effectively in case of disappearance. In effect, the existing devices remain largely unknown : only 5% of respondents say that they know the emergency number 116 000 dedicated to the accompaniment of families with a missing child. A figure is very inferior to other emergency numbers, such as 15, which is identified by 88% of respondents to the same survey.

Even more disturbing is that, 19% of the French say they don't know who to contact in the first place if their child were to disappear. A finding is particularly alarming when the first hours of a disappearance are often the most critical to quickly find a child. In the sheets tips are available on its website the 116 000 Missing Children recalled that the first reflex to adopt is to go immediately to the police station or police to report the disappearance and register the child in the File of Wanted Persons (RPF) to open an investigation.

A feeling of not being quite aware of

This feeling of not being sufficiently equipped to respond in such a situation is widely shared in the French population. In fact, nearly 8 out of 10 people believe that young people and parents are not enough aware of the risks associated with missing children. A lack of prevention, the consequences of which remain difficult to assess, but with a source of hope, however : the device Abduction Alert, which has proven since its deployment in 2006, is known by more than 8 out of 10 French.

The notoriety of this device shows that a broad awareness of public opinion is possible around the issue of the missing miners. To achieve this goal, three tracks are raised by professionals in the emergency number 116 000, which accompany the families in everyday life.

In a first time, these are calls to communicate more widely around the disappearances of minors, in particular through national campaigns, in order to strengthen the knowledge of good reflexes to adopt and devices to which to turn for help. The experts also stress the importance of educating young people about the risks they expose themselves to when they run away in order to prevent the use thereof, or a new beginning, when the young person has already run away. Finally, the training of professionals (police officers, social workers and legal advisors, etc.) should be strengthened in order to support more effectively the families and young people in such situations. A widely-shared demand by the French : nearly 8 out of 10 of them believing that the disappearance of a child is a subject requiring a specific guidance.

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Julien Landureau
07 68 36 71 23
julien.landureau@droitdenfance.org