Greece: 112 children missing in early 2024 as cases rise

In the first half of 2024, 112 children went missing in Greece, marking a 14.28% increase in incidents compared to the same period in 2023, according to recent data.

In Europe, a child goes missing every two minutes, with experts citing family dynamics and relationships with the opposite sex as the main contributing factors, according to research by child charity The Smile of the Child. The research was presented at a conference organized by the child charity together with Missing Children Europe, the European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children, state broadcaster ERT News reported. 

In Greece, the cases include 71 teenage runaways, 13 parental abductions, 18 Amber Alert-related prosecutorial orders, 6 unaccompanied minors, 3 third-party abductions, and 1 case of online sexual exploitation.

Of the 112 children reported missing since the...