About a thousand children were reported missing in Portugal in 2023

Authorities recorded the disappearance of 1,010 children and young people in Portugal in 2023, almost a hundred below the record of 1,102 in 2022, and all of them were found, according to the Judicial Police (PJ).

Chief Inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department of the PP, Miguel Gonçalves, told Lusa that the available statistics reflect national reports sent directly to the judiciary or that were disseminated by other criminal police authorities (PSP and GNR), and stressed that the registration of a missing person differs from the opening of an investigation, which occurs only in the event of a “suspicion of a situation of criminal origin.”

“As a rule, the vast majority of situations that we encounter are situations where a missing person is reported and, as a rule, children (under 18 years of age) are found for a short time,” said Miguel Goncalves. .

“To the best of my knowledge, we do not have any specific situation in 2023 with a child who was not effectively located and which subsequently led to an investigation,” he added.

The figures show that of the 1,010 children missing in 2023, 179 were under 14 years old and the remaining 831 were between 14 and 17 years old, although the figure may be slightly inflated for various reasons.

“There are situations of duplication, because there are many children placed in special institutions, and during the year they have several cases of disappearance,” the chief inspector said, also noting that among children under 14 years of age, it is not always the case that one child disappears. child in the facility, but rather about arriving late at the facility, stating that “they are not following the rules, and if they do not show up, the facility automatically files a missing person report.”

Regarding previous years, Miguel Gonçalves highlighted that in 2022, a total of 1,102 records of missing children were registered, of which 178 were under the age of 14 and 924 were in the age group of 14 to 17 years.

2021 recorded the lowest number of missing children and young people in the last three years, with 976 (129 under 14 and 847 between 14 and 17), “most likely still affected by coronavirus.” Pandemic -19,” the chief inspector emphasized.

The head of the SP believes that the Portuguese reality is “not worrying” compared to that of other countries, citing the examples of the United Kingdom or Spain and emphasizing that situations involving children under 14 years of age are usually “resolved as quickly as possible.” “Perhaps for a short period of time,” while for young people aged 14 to 17 the situation may become “more complex” due to greater independence.

“Usually, children are most likely to go missing between the ages of 15 and 16 years old. In addition, we also have those who are very close to reaching the age of majority, in which they will turn 18 in a few months.” , he adds.

PJ announced on Tuesday that it has joined the International Day of Missing Children campaign, which is promoted by the European Center for Missing Children in 16 countries and which has the slogan “Check. Think. Communicate,” providing parents and caregivers with guidance on what to do. what to do if a child goes missing. According to a note published by the joint venture, about 300,000 children go missing in Europe every year.