11 underage immigrants went missing in south Cyprus in the last 3 years

It has been reported that 11 underage, unaccompanied minors have been missing in the south of Cyprus, some for up to three years.

The report was made available by the Cyprus deputy social welfare ministry at the house interior committee, summoned to discuss the migration issue, which stated that 11 such people have been reported missing to the police from 2019 up until April 2022. In total, four went missing in 2019, three in 2021 and four in 2022.

Cyprus member of Parliament, Alexandra Attalidou expressed dismay at the seeming double standards as to how such cases were investigated.

“If five Cypriot children went missing, the entire population would horrified,” she said, wondering how it can be that when five third-country children go missing it does not lead to such a reaction.

Attalidou said that when she first saw the report she investigated the matter, noting that one person went missing in October and another four so far this year.

Attalidou expressed her concern that they may have become victims of organ or sex trafficking, and that it was unacceptable for these minors, who were registered in Pournara migrant center, and under the protection of the state to go missing in such a manner.

Deputy social welfare minister Anastasia Anthousi said that in the coming days tenders will be announced as the state seeks permanent solutions as to how to handle unaccompanied minors, with one line of thinking leads towards Paphos as a destination.

Another member of parliament, Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis also expressed his regret that there appears to be such a wide disparity on part of the authorities depending on who it is who goes missing.

“It’s inconceivable that if my child were to go missing that the police would act differently than if migrant child disappeared,” he said after the meeting.

“The same procedures, same regulations, the same zeal must be applied when and where it is deemed a child has gone missing, and if they have, that is something that should concern the state,” he added.

Cyprus Mail