Migrant crisis: More than 10,000 children 'missing'
- 8 years ago
More than 10,000 migrant children may have disappeared after arriving in Europe over the past two years, the EU's police intelligence unit says.
Confirming the overall estimate of missing minors, a Europol spokesman said a large proportion may have also disappeared after landing in Greece.
The country is the first entry point for most of the 1 million migrants who arrived in Europe by boat in 2015, and authorities have been criticised for failing to register and check the arrivals.
There are fears unaccompanied children and young people may be dragged into sex work, slavery and other illegal activity.
The International Organization for Migration spokesman Leonard Doyle told the BBC the figure of 10,000 missing children was "shocking but not surprising".
The warning from Europol comes days after the UK government said it would accept more unaccompanied child refugees from Syria and other conflict zones, without giving numbers.
Confirming the overall estimate of missing minors, a Europol spokesman said a large proportion may have also disappeared after landing in Greece.
The country is the first entry point for most of the 1 million migrants who arrived in Europe by boat in 2015, and authorities have been criticised for failing to register and check the arrivals.
There are fears unaccompanied children and young people may be dragged into sex work, slavery and other illegal activity.
The International Organization for Migration spokesman Leonard Doyle told the BBC the figure of 10,000 missing children was "shocking but not surprising".
The warning from Europol comes days after the UK government said it would accept more unaccompanied child refugees from Syria and other conflict zones, without giving numbers.