Disappeared Children Report

The Parliamentary Research Commission established for the "Determination of Necessary Precautions by Researching the Problems of the Children who became Victims of Disappearances" issued a draft report.

"There is actually no child that commits a crime; there are children pushed to crime. A child that committed a crime is punished twofold. The child is punished enough anyways by becoming a victim of circumstances that h/she did not establish him/herself. Moreover, the child becomes stigmatized as a criminal and is being excluded from society, which is like a second punishment", the draft report claimed.

Majority of disappeared children older than 15

The report revealed that a crucial part of the disappeared children is aged 15 or older. The majority of this group is female.

Stories of previous losses and a migration background of the parents increase the risk for disappearances, the report stated.

The most common reasons for the disappearance of girls is the disapproval of their emotional relationships, sexual abuse by a person in the close environment, arranged marriage or abuse as a prostitute.

Reasons for the abduction of younger children can be adoption or begging for instance.

The report indicated that children in Turkey are also being abducted by the reason of organ trafficking. Yet, the commission was not able to get hold of any evidence.

Higher risk in bigger families

The draft report emphasized that problems for the children may evolve if their mother and father became parents before they could solve their own problems of puberty.

Children are particularly affected by problems such as violent dissension, unemployment, poverty, violence or lack of education. The children get caught in their own dreams to get away from an oppressive family environment, beating, maltreatment or poverty.

Families with many children may not be able to meet the children's emotional, social and economic needs. This makes them more prone to the risk of neglect and abuse.

The children's desire to leave home stems from the child's personality, the circle of friends, failure at school, pressure of the family, separation of the parents, living together with older family members such as the grandparents, imitating somebody else, love of adventure, attraction of a big city, the desire to earn money or insecurity.

Other reasons for running away from home are adolescent problems, lacking or wrong information on sexuality, incest and sexual harassment.

Recommendations to prevent the disappearance of children

- Strengthening the family structure, improvement of the parents' social structure.

- Parents must be provided with skills regarding the communication within the family.

- Economic conditions of the families should be supported.

- Children should be supported to gain a positive attitude towards life.

- Families with a migration background should be included in social programs to help adapting to the new environment.

- Counselling, guidance and treatment must be given to children with physical and mental risk factors.

- The children's performance at school should be monitored, necessary interventions should be implemented if the child experiences problems to adapt in order to keep the child in the system.

- Children should be made aware of emotional ties.

- The media should aim at creating a positve role model.

- The appropriate use of the internet should be provided. (BB/VK)