Since 2013, 781 children have disappeared without a trace from Norwegian asylum centers. Of those, 178 are unaccompanied minor asylum seekers, according to figures from the UDI.
A record number of 31,145 people applied for asylum in Norway last year, but of those many people have disappeared without a trace, writes the local newspaper Dagsavisen. According to figures from the UDI, which the newspaper has got hold of, d 2,207 asylum seekers disappeared from Norwegian reception centers last year without telling them where they’re going. This includes 301 children and 73 of those children were unaccompanied minors.
In 2013 and 2014 480 children disappeared, and 105 of those children were minors.
Special Adviser for refugees in Save the Children, Camilla Engeset, says it seems that the number of lost children is too high.
– We believe too little has been done both to stop children from disappearing and to find the children again when they disappear. There is a great concern that children who come to Norway disappear unless we know what happens. We know that many minors before they come to Norway are very vulnerable to trafficking, violence and abuse on the way to Europe. There is a danger that this continues after they have arrived in Norway, she says.According to UDI, there are various reasons why asylum seekers disappear from reception centers. Many travel to other European countries to seek asylum there while many leave for neighboring areas or their homeland. But many people also choose to go underground and live as paperless either in Norway or in other countries.
Source: NTB scanpix/ Norway Today
