Protection of missing children

A mother of a 6-year girl contacted European number for missing children in Serbia. By a court decision, she was appointed as a guardian, but she is not in position to exercise her rights, because the other parent is holding and abusing child rights. In addition, the child is grossly neglected because she does not attend school, and is deprived of seeing her mother and brother for several months. Responsible local institutions failed to intervene several times already and to return a child to her mother.

A mother from abroad addresses ASTRA with the case of parental abduction. A former partner who has no custody left the country of refuge with a child and entered Serbia. Both parents are foreign citizens and although in cases of international parental child abduction, cooperation is the key to successful investigation and support for the child, the local authorities are still reluctant to react and to check whether the father and the child are still on the territory of Serbia.

In both cases, the European number for missing children in Serbia, operating by ASTRA, serves as a unique support to children and parents whenever the local context is not providing the support and/or is breaching their rights.

Both mothers in those case, suffering tremendously for the loss of their children and who cannot directly exercise their basic right as parents, are supported by ASTRA and European number for missing children in Serbia in linking with institutions, making pressure to authorities to react and proactively searching for the information through its CSO local and regional network. The search and return of the child to her mother is still on………..  Stay with us and help us to find children and help their parents…

We were all in situations in which we were asking ourselves whether we could do things differently or better and what would have happen if we... when is the turning point when the things became bad and irreversible… In the missing children cases it is necessary to be aware of how prompt reaction, efficient investigation and finding of the child is not the end, but rather the beginning of long-term support to the child.

At the recently organized training and practice exchange for prosecutors organized by ASTRA, a case of a runaway girl was discussed. She was reported missing by her father through European number for missing children in Serbia. A victim, Tanya (14) felt unwanted by her parent and she lost the communication with them. In the same time she was searching for her own identity and her own place in the society.

First time she ran away, she was found and placed in the institution for the protection of children, under the decision of the Center for Social welfare. As there was a suspicion that she was sexually exploited we were involved in assistance, too. No work with her and her family was done by relevant public institutions.

Very soon, Tanya escaped again. When she was found for the second time, it turned out that the suspicions about exploitation were true. Her situation and circumstances, inability to deal with family problems, trying to find the personal path in the period of life when emotional instability is common, were exploited by the young man who seduced her. Initially, he has given her attention and had been there for her, talk with her, pretended to listen and understand her, substituting the attention she didn’t receive by a family and institutions, peers and school provides her with something very important she had not had in her own home, in school, with peers. He quickly earned her trust, he began with abuse and punishing, justifying his own actions as proof of love. “ ..He just wanted to teach me how to be a real woman….”and then he forced Tanya in the prostitution. Soon after she was found for the second time, authorities started criminal procedures that ended with a human trafficking conviction, and defendant was sentenced to high prison terms for the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Due to Tanya’s specific situation, ASTRA was not allowed to continue working with her. We thing that public institutions omitted to apply every possible means of support to Tania and her family. Tanya is still unstable, still lacking of trust….she might get into troubles again...  

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