An investigation into missing migrant children wins the EP’s Daphne Caruana Galizia award

A journalistic investigation that revealed that more than 50,000 minors migrants in the European Union They disappeared without a trace in a space of three years won the award this Wednesday Daphne Caruana Galizia, that each year awards the European Parliament in memory of the Maltese journalist murdered in 2017.

“We are inspired by the work of Daphne Caruana Galizia. She was a woman in investigative journalism and we are proud that the founders of Lost in Europe let’s also be women. This award will allow us to continue shedding light on this injustice,” the Dutch journalist said when accepting the award. Geesje Van Harenone of the creators of the consortium behind the research.

The journalists of Lost in Europe (Lost in Europe) requested data on unaccompanied migrant minors missing between 2021 and 2023 from 31 European countries and obtained the final figure of 51,433 of them that the authorities have lost track of, although the real number could be higher because there are several countries that have not shared data.

“There are countries that have told us that they do not have immigration problems,” laments Van Haren.

The causes of the disappearances

The factors behind the disappearances are varied: from minors who move between countries to meet with family and friends and do not notify them to those who fall victims to human trafficking or prostitution, which are increasing according to researchers.

Van Haren explained that these minors are no longer usually in specially protected shelters but, as they end up going “from one hotel to another”, their entry into the world of prostitution or drug trafficking happens in the parking lots of those hotels.

For the journalist, the authorities of each country should take care of these minors, who usually arrive “traumatized or dealing with brutal stress“, and act as their legal guardians, protecting their rights as children.

The team of Lost in Europe is composed of 28 journalists coming from 14 countries that, as explained by its founder, seeks to “build a new way of doing journalism” based on ethics and awareness of the trauma that these minors go through.

“We have a diverse team and many of our journalists have experience in migration. We try not to victimize the minors we report on but to empower them to tell their stories. You don’t want a child to relive their trauma during an interview, we are very aware of this“says the Dutch journalist.

The creation of the award, in 2019

The European Parliament created the award in 2019 with the name Daphne Caruana Galizia in tribute to the Maltese investigative journalist who dedicated her life to fighting corruption and was murdered in a car bomb attack in 2017.

The award recognizes quality journalism that promotes or defends the fundamental principles and values ​​of the European Union.

“Daphne’s murder was not a solitary act, but rather the culmination of years of harassment that had left her isolated. It is a lesson that we try to address with this award, it is our way of supporting investigative journalism,” said the president of Parliament. European, also Maltese Roberta Metsolaat the awards ceremony.