Your Majesty
President Buquicchio
Patrons of the Council of Missing Children Europe
Members of Missing Children Europe
Distinguished guests and friends
I would like to thank you, Your Majesty Queen Paola, for extending your gracious invitation to me to be here with you today.
Indeed, it is with pleasure that I join you to celebrate the work of Missing Children Europe over the past fifteen years. The fact we are here, in solidarity and in friendship, gives me great hope.
However, the continuing dangers faced by missing children, is a source of deep distress.
The interventions of Maud Buquicchio, President of Missing Children Europe, and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and other distinguished speakers, have given us much insight into this complex concern.
Building resilient relationships between all members of community is essential if we are to safeguard the dignity of every child.
Let us think about how we can rebuild relationships between families, neighbours, and extended networks within our communities, so that the moment a child is missing an entire community is moved to action.
Empowered communities are the best contributors in safeguarding child wellbeing, working alongside civil society and the efforts of government.
As the world becomes smaller due to the effects of globalisation, we must join as one to create approaches that are effective both within and across our nations.
For this reason, fostering support for Amber Alert Europe is an important step forward.
I must say that I am very proud of the two Maltese MEPs, Dr Roberta Metsola and Dr Miriam Dalli, who have, together with seventeen other MEPs, submitted a written declaration on “improving emergency cooperation in recovering endangered missing children and improving child alert mechanisms in the EU Member States”, in the European Parliament, in support of this initiative.
Thank you, Ms Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, for being one of the MEPs who took this initiative.
I am also very pleased to note that my country, now, is in the process of joining Amber Alert Europe.
On the other hand, it is necessary to work together to encourage flexible approaches to the rapidly changing migration crisis, and the large numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children coming to Europe.
The reality of missing children cuts across gender and ethnicity. It respects no frontiers, and affects children of all ages. It demands that we consider the wellbeing of the child, and how threats to that wellbeing can be prevented.
Children are central to our discussions. They must be included in ways that are respectful and safe, recognised as engaged participants in decisions that will impact their lives.
We all know that when we talk about a missing child, we are too often talking about the evils of human trafficking; the horrific exploitation of children; the abuse and the destruction of a child’s precious dignity.
A collaborative effort is crucial to achieve the sustainable strengthening of our communities, while also providing opportunities for the development and implementation of improved policy initiatives at both a European and international level.
The wellbeing of the child is the beating heart that transforms contemporary society into a reality that is worthy of the trust of a child.
Let us also concentrate on the particular vulnerability experienced by those who are uprooted from their homes and are fleeing for safety and for their lives.
I must declare my interest in the plight of asylum-seeking children, as I have met so many of these children through the course of my career.
The relationship between the phenomenon of migration, and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, especially in response to violent conflict, cannot be ignored.
This has direct impact on the problem of missing children.
Besides what we have just heard from Rob Wainwright, President of Europol, according to data from Europol, thousands of unaccompanied child asylum seekers have disappeared after arrival in Europe.
Our strategies must address the existence of what Europol’s chief of staff Brian Donald describes as a “sophisticated pan-European criminal infrastructure”.
The systematic targeting of the vulnerability experienced by refugees must be challenged.
Europol also reports that unaccompanied child asylum seekers in Europe are at particular risk of sexual exploitation. Such exploitation comes out of the broader exploitation of migrants and refugees.
We must ask ourselves whether, through our border policies, our economic policies, and our social policies, we are silently sanctioning such exploitation.
We must prioritise a cultural shift towards respect, towards inclusion, and towards peace.
These are issues we must seriously consider if we are to form preventative measures that not only benefit unaccompanied asylum seeking children, but also children who go missing from their communities all across Europe.
If we are serious about preventing children from going missing, then we must think about how unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are treated upon entry into Europe.
The risks they face are far greater, and so our strategies of support must be just as great.
It is my firm conviction that we must work together to create a resource and information sharing network, which includes the participation of all stakeholders, if we are to effect results.
We must consider the creation of a pan-regional network that unites and mobilises the participation of major actors, including IOM, UNHCR, the Red Cross, and civil society, alongside EU entities and initiatives like the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and Amber Alert Europe.
Governments must further commit the financial and political good will that is necessary to create a network of stakeholders ready to nurture and maintain the necessary infrastructure that is lacking or as yet underdeveloped, in so many transit countries, at European entry points and destination countries. Missing Children Europe could, I believe, be instrumental in forming such an initiative.
We must work together, and build on the efforts that have already been achieved.
This quality of collaboration is possible.
I am proud to say that this quality of collaboration has been part of the work underway in Malta.
A joint UNHCR-IOM report, released in 2014 and entitled “Unaccompanied Migrant and Refugee Children: Alternatives to Detention in Malta”, is a milestone in the wellbeing of asylum-seeking children in Malta and beyond.
It is one example of good practice which is possible when we stand in solidarity. It led to a transformation in the discourse on issues of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in my country. I also saw the creation of a designated reception centre for unaccompanied children and for families.
I believe that a stakeholders’ roundtable meeting, held at European level and facilitated by the Patrons Council of Missing Children Europe, would send a strong message of shared and active concern.
I am prepared to host such a meeting in Malta, taking stock of the current situation and brainstorming proactive initiatives to explore connections between civil society and transnational organisations.
In this way, we can consolidate what each entity is already doing, coordinating with each other, and complimenting each other, so that, together, we can holistically safeguard vulnerable children.
I believe that a missing child creates a wound in the heart of our communities and our society.
It damages our nations to the very core, and worst of all, it damages us as human beings.
States have a responsibility for the wellbeing of each individual child. Let us explore ways in which this responsibility can translate into a practical action plan for all children in its jurisdiction, through collaborative networking.
Let us build this network on a common culture of peace and wellbeing, where children are safeguarded, where prevention is key, and where the absence of a child is immediately felt and initiates action.
I appreciate that the people here are all individuals who have stood up to be counted. Therefore, let us ensure that each child knows they can count on us for support and protection.
In conclusion, let me repeat my belief that our key goals to move forward must include a focus on the increased participation of children, consulted at every level — both the children of Europe and children entering Europe.
We must also focus on the phenomenon of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to respond to the dangers experienced by them, and, in the process, safeguard their fundamental rights.
Malta’s Presidency of the Council of the EU next year is committed to focusing on issues of migration. I invite Missing Children Europe to advocate with the Malta Presidency of the Council of the EU in this regard to give visibility to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
The creation of a collaborative network of stakeholders as I have outlined, is one such practical measure that will offer a timely response to the unfolding phenomenon of mass movement across Europe.
We need to strengthen our communities if we are to create a culture of peace. We must empower our communities and make them places where the child’s dignity is always respected and safeguarded.
This message, which is so clear to us, is one that we must never tire of sharing. It is a message to sustain greater peace and wellbeing in our communities, our societies, and our nations.
It is a message to strive for a world where every child is ensured, of his or her full potential. Thank you.