Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen & mortierbrigade count the missing children.

Sunday, November 20 is World Children’s Day. Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen and mortierbrigade have chosen this opportunity to draw more attention to children on the move. Between 2018 and 2020, no fewer than 18,292 children disappeared in Europe (figures: Lost in Europe). ​

To draw attention to this sad figure, mortierbrigade and Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen have created a striking PR stunt. A statue of a child has been placed in place du Luxembourg, right across from the European institutions. The child is symbolically playing ‘hide and seek’ with friends and counts up to 18,292, which takes more than 9 hours without stopping. This figure matches the estimated number of missing children. The statue can be seen on rue du Luxembourg in Brussels from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 November. ​

“The current reception crisis in our country once again painfully highlights the vulnerability of these children. Since mid-October 2022, babies and young children have been sleeping on the streets with their families, as have 150 unaccompanied minors.This is not only unworthy for these children, above all, it compromises their safety, something that these minors so desperately need,” says Tine Claus, directorof Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen. ​

That is why Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen is linking this action to its open petition calling on Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and his government to step up and provide adequate shelter and care.

Volunteers are on hand over the 3 days to inform passers-by about the action, distributing leaflets and inviting them to sign the petition. ​