CHILD
Last modified on Thursday 5 May 2022
Kate Langrish
Content writer
Over 70,000 children are reported missing each year in the UK. We find out how a charity is spreading awareness about these children, and what you can do to help.
With the recent news that Portuguese police have officially named a 45-year-old German man as a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, it's given fresh hope to a case that people have feared would never be solved.
Madeleine went missing 15 years ago, but now police believe a suspect called Christian Brueckner, who is currently in jail for a sex crime, was in the area where the girl, then aged three, was last seen.
According to the BBC, the suspect travelled around Portugal in a camper van and, the day after Madeleine vanished, transferred a Jaguar car into someone else's name. He has not been charged and denies any involvement, although German prosecutors claim to have recently discovered new evidence.
Maddy McCann is one of the most famous missing child cases of all time. But what about the other missing children cases that are still ongoing?
It's a frightening thought, but each year more than 70,000 children are reported missing in the UK, according to the charity Missing People.
And, because many of these children run away from home and go missing multiple times, there are around 215,000 reported incidents of missing children each year.
Children between 12 and 17 years old make up for more than half of all missing people incidents.
According to the charity Action Against Abduction, the most recent police figures show more than 1,200 child abduction offences in England and Wales in 2018/19. Offences of kidnapping (which include adult and child victims) were just over 5,220.
The charity estimates that between 10% and 20% of kidnappings involve child victims.
As you read this, there are thousands of missing children who are alone, terrified and vulnerable to harm and exploitation.The charity is keen to raise awareness of the vulnerability of missing people – particularly children – and has outlined ways you can help.
Chief Executive of Missing People, Jo Youle says: 'The charity is proud that through great adversity our essential support remains open for these young people. However, without urgent support that long-term support is in doubt. We have had to reduce our income predictions by £500k – and for a smaller national charity that means many children may not get support they so desperately need.'
You can donate to Missing People on their website, or there are a number of ways you can fundraise for the charity.
How vulnerable are missing children?
Many children and young people who run away from home put themselves in high-risk situations, with reports suggesting that a third stayed with a stranger and two-fifths slept rough.
If they're not attending school, children will also miss out on crucial education.
Children who go missing are particularly vulnerable as they’re hidden from help and their support networks.
Many children and young people who run away are also already considered vulnerable, or under local authority care at the time that they go missing.
How you can help missing children
There are several ways you can help missing children and their families.
- Follow Missing People on Facebook or Twitter. The more people who share missing people appeals with friends online, the more chance there is of finding them.
- Use the Missing People Search Directoryto find out who is missing in your area, so you can be on the lookout.
- Donate to Missing People.
Here are just some of the many, many children currently missing in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Some disappeared years ago, some more recently, but all have people who care about them and want to find them.
If you recognise any of these children, please click their links below.
Holly Bringan
1 / 20
Age at disappearance: 2
Missing Since: 22-Oct-2009
Missing from: Irvine, North Ayrshire
Reference No: 17-002910
Katrice Lee
2 / 20
Age at disappearance:2
Missing Since:28-Nov-1981
Missing from:Schloss Neuhaus, Paderborn, Germany
Reference No:00-001489
Sandy Davidson
3 / 20
Age at disappearance: 3
Missing Since: 23-Apr-1976
Missing from: Irvine, Ayrshire
Reference No: 01-007561
Son ThaiVo
4 / 20
Age at disappearance:14
Missing Since:16-Nov-2017
Missing from:Folkestone, Kent
Reference No:17-006369
Zhi Liang He
5 / 20
Age at disappearance:16
Missing Since:20-Dec-2019
Missing from:Uxbridge , Middlesex
Reference No:19-006212
Owen Harding
6 / 20
Age at disappearance:16
Missing Since:26-Mar-2020
Missing from:Saltdean, East Sussex
Reference No:20-001647
Daniel Entwistle
7 / 20
Age at disappearance:7
Missing Since:03-May-2003
Missing from:Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Reference No:03-004356
Finn Layland-Stratfield
8 / 20
Age at disappearance:17
Missing Since:08-Jul-2017
Missing from:Tintagel, Cornwall
Reference No:17-004023
Mohammad Miyakhail
9 / 20
Age at disappearance:17
Missing Since:03-Feb-2018
Missing from:Bedford, Bedfordshire
Reference No:18-001206
Dejen Tesfamical
10 / 20
Age at disappearance:15
Missing Since:02-May-2019
Missing from:Luton, Bedfordshire
Reference No:19-002076
Auoob Daheeya
11 / 20
Age at disappearance:15
Missing Since:14-Sept-2018
Missing from:Greenford, Middlesex
Reference No:18-006056
Uyen Vu Tu
12 / 20
Age at disappearance:15
Missing Since:15-Jul-2018
Missing from:Dover, Kent
Reference No:18-003539
Alex Batty
13 / 20
Age at disappearance:11
Missing Since:8-Oct-2017
Missing from:Oldham, Greater Manchester
Reference No:17-005650
Rahmatullah Esakail
14 / 20
Age at disappearance:15
Missing Since:3-Jan-2020
Missing from:Birmingham, West Midlands
Reference No:20-000081
Bang Dinh Tran
15 / 20
Age at disappearance:15
Missing Since:4-Sept-2020
Missing from:Bradford, West Yorkshire
Reference No:20-004233
Vin Bu
16 / 20
Age at disappearance:16
Missing Since:5-Oct-2020
Missing from:Reading, Berkshire
Reference No:20-005319
Umayma Amrania
17 / 20
Age at disappearance:16
Missing Since:3-Oct-2020
Missing from:Islington, London
Reference No:20-004780
Nam Nguyen
18 / 20
Age at disappearance:14
Missing Since:3-Jan-2019
Missing from:Birmingham, West Midlands
Reference No:21-000985
Loc Thi Bui
19 / 20
Age at disappearance:14
Missing Since:14-Mar-2020
Missing from:Lewisham, London
Reference No:20-001610
Tu The Nguyen
20 / 20
Age at disappearance:14
Missing Since:8-Feb-2020
Missing from:Liverpool, Merseyside
Reference No:20-001653
On hearing news that a child has gone missing, it can be confusing to know how you can help: what should we do? How do we report it? And is it safe to do so?
Missing People has shared their top tips with us to answer your questions.
What should I do if I spot a missing child?
If you have any information about a missing child or adult, report this to the police or to Missing People as soon as possible.
You can report a sighting of a missing child or adult by calling the charity’s free helpline 116 000, or completing a sighting report online.
Any information given to the charity is passed to the police, and your identity can remain confidential, unless you state that you are happy for your details to be passed on.
What do I do if I think a child is missing?
- If you believe a child is missing, you should report this immediately by contacting your local police station in person or over the phone. In an emergency, can call 999.
- You do not have to wait 24 hours to report somebody missing.
- If for any reason you have a problem with speaking to the police, or you need support or advice, contact the Missing People helpline on 116 000.
What’s the best way to help an appeal for a missing child?
The police will lead on all investigations to find a missing person or child. However Missing People can help by providing additional publicity.
The charity will speak to you and to the police to confirm that it is safe to share the case publicly.
An appeal may then be launched online via the website and social media pages, in print and on nationwide billboards, and via a network of poster partners located across the country.
Members of the public can share social media appeals, and download appeal posters from the charity’s website.
There are also often opportunities to carry out interviews with the media, if appropriate.
Should we always be sharing the missing people posts we see on social media?
Social media is a powerful way to ensure missing appeals reach as many people as possible.
However, you should be careful to ONLY share appeals from official sources, such as the Missing People charity or local police force accounts.
All appeals on the Missing People website and social media pages have been carefully checked to ensure that the information is up-to-date, and that it is safe to publicise that person's details on social media.
Posts from elsewhere could be out-of-date, false, or could potentially put the missing person at further risk.
To reach the charity's free and confidential helpline at any time, call or text 116 000 or email 116000@missingpeople.org.uk.
For more information on protecting children and young people from going missing, have a look through our articles or speak with other parents in the forum:
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