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Disappearances of children in France
Little Fiona disappeared on Sunday May 12 and since then everything has been done to find her. Next May 25 is the International Day of Missing Children. In France, every year, out of 10 worrying disappearances, 000 to 1 children are not found. Who to alert when their child has disappeared and from whom to find support and accompaniment?
Disappearance of children: the figures in France
In France, in 2012, 61 * adults and minors disappeared. Most of these cases were runaways. Of the 11 so-called “worrying” disappearances, 674 concerned minors and 598 parental abductions. Each year, 439 to 1 children go missing and are not found.
For 10 years, fifteen children have always been declared missing without any trace. Some famous cases: the little one Yannis More, disappeared since May 2, 1989. Aged 3 and a half, he had vanished during a family walk in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Yannis would be 27 years old today. Other case : Marion Wagon, 10 years old, disappeared at the exit of his school, in Agen (Lot-et-Garonne), on November 14, 1996. The portrait of the girl was distributed at length and the investigators never obtained the slightest clue. We also rememberEstelle Mouzin, who disappeared on January 9, 2003, in Guermantes, in Seine-et-Marne, when she was returning alone from school.
Child disappearance: how to react?
First of all, families must contact the local police. Secondly, depending on the situation, parents can turn to associations specializing in support and listening. L’Inavem is a network of victim assistance associations which manages the 116 telephone platform, the European telephone number.
Majority of calls from parents relate to questions about runaways and parental abductions in a difficult divorce case. This organization supports families who will report – or – have reported the disappearance of their child.
Those listening to the 116 must take stock of the steps taken by the family. For example, they make sure that she has transmitted to the police all the information concerning the child and the details related to his disappearance. Then, the listeners inform the families of the steps still to be taken. And, depending on the type of case, they offer to put them in contact with a CFPE representative. These professionals are trained lawyers and specialize in kidnapping cases. They will act as the link between the parents and the police throughout the investigation and will ensure that each other’s information circulates in the best possible way in the interests of the missing victim.
Missing children: how the kidnapping alert works
The device Kidnapping alert is an alert system in the event of the abduction of a minor child. It very quickly informs the population, throughout the national territory, of precise information relating to the kidnapping. It takes care of the testimonies likely to help to find the victim.
The first hours following the disappearance are decisive: a study carried out in the United States in 1993 shows that out of 621 child abductions that ended in homicide, 44% of children were killed within the first hour, 74% within three hours and 91% within 24 hours of removal.
The decision to trigger the “kidnapping alert” plan will be taken by the public prosecutor in close consultation with the investigators and after the Ministry of Justice has been consulted.
To trigger this alert, four following criteria must be met:
– the kidnapping must be recognized and proven, and not constitute a simple disappearance, even worrying.
– the life or physical integrity of the victim must be in danger.
– the public prosecutor is in possession of elements of information the dissemination of which may allow the location of the child or the suspect.
– the victim must be a minor.
In Fiona’s case, no one saw the girl leave the park with anyone, so we can’t trigger this kidnapping alert because the conditions aren’t right.
* Source: figures from the Ministry of the Interior